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From the first moment you exited your planet's atmosphere, your soulmark had been pulsing, a faint tingle that grew stronger the further you got away from your planet and them, whoever they were.
Sighing, you rubbed the skin on your wrist gently. “I won't be gone long.” You murmured, eyes growing heavy as you allowed the sleeping pod to pull you under. “Less than a month… just you wait…”
Within moments, you were fully asleep, the pod activating fully to keep you in stasis for the entire trip to Planet 51, one of 60 discovered planets that could potentially house life since it was one of the few that didn't have such an inhospitable environment like Venus with it's acid rains or HD 189733b with its glass storms.
You were on a ship containing fifteen other astronauts and field agents, people trained in all the things necessary to find out if a planet was useful or not. One by one, all of you were separated into different shuttles and sent off to your individual planets, coming to not long after.
The entire time your shuttle flew towards the planet's surface, your soulmark continued to pulse, growing stronger and stronger until it ached like a well-stretched muscle. As you suited up– just in case– you couldn't help but be exasperated by it. You really didn't understand why your soulmark did this. None of the others’ did.
Looking at the name inked into your skin one final time before you pushed your arm into the sleeve, you couldn't help but wonder what kind of name Korthan Grawl was.
Breaths coming out ragged as you clutched at your heart, hiding in some bushes, you tried to calm down and think. Nobody had thought– it hadn't even been considered–
Fuck. Fuck!
Aliens. Honest to God aliens were on this planet and you'd just– fucking shit. You were so unbelievably fucked it wasn't even funny. The discovery of a lifetime and you had to find it out while surrounded by them! What the sh–
A gasp to your right made your head snap to the side, and you froze.
One of the aliens was looking right at you. Shit. Oh god, she– it looked like a girl– was going to rat you out for sure. You were going to be fucking dissected–!
“Are– are you okay?”
– or maybe not.
Blinking behind your helmet, you slowly nodded, still tense as you sat surrounded by foliage.
The alien girl gave you a weary look, carefully kneeling by the bush as she glanced around nervously. “I, um, I saw you run this way.” She explains, fiddling with her skirt. “My parents have already called the local authorities. I, um…”
She laughs softly, shaking her head. “I don't know what I'm even doing, I just… I worried, I suppose.” She said, doing that cute hair-tuck thing girls did.
You shifted a bit, reaching up to push the black cover of your helmet up, showing her your face. As you made eye contact with her, her mouth popped open in surprise.
“Oh, you look like me.” She says in surprise. And… she wasn't exactly wrong, was she? When humans imagined aliens, they never imagined anything similar to them.
Yet here was an alien, and despite the differences in appearance… you weren't too dissimilar.
Fascinating.
You gave her a small, tentative smile.
“And you look like me.”
Slowly, she returned your smile.
Peering through the blinds of Neera’s window, you bit at the inside of your cheek at the sight of military vehicles rolling– flying?– in. Stepping back, you exhaled heavily, ruffling your hair roughly. Nearby, your new alien ally gave you a concerned look.
“Are you okay?” Neera asked. Bless her heart, but this girl was too nice, hiding you in her own room regardless of the danger it put her in.
With a sigh, you shook your head. “Not really. I mean… look.” You huff, gesturing out the window. “I'm screwed. I… gosh.”
Neera laid a hand on your shoulder as she walked over, glancing outside herself. “It might not be too bad. Maybe if we explain…”
You grimace, itching at your soulmark, the skin throbbing now. You were already in a dangerous situation, but you also had this distracting you too?
Sighing, you peer through the blinds again. “If luck is on my side, maybe.” You murmur, eyes idly roaming the growing crowd outside before suddenly, your gaze latched onto a lone, tall figure. Something about him called to you, demanded your attention.
Maybe it was how he held himself, the way he exuded command, or maybe…
You pressed your nails into your wrist, feeling your mark burn.
“… hey, Neera?” She hums, and you glance at her. “Do your kind have soulmates?”
She blinks at the odd question, but nods. “Of course. Why?”
You blink, glancing between her and the man outside.
“Just an odd feeling.” You whisper.
Standing on the pavement as he surveyed his surroundings, General K. Grawl stood with his hands behind his back, eyes narrowed as he searched for anything suspicious.
Pressed against his spine, his wrist burned.
All his life, Grawl's soulmark had been silent, dull, a ghost presence; even when he was in the clutches of the enemy and facing death, he never once felt his soulmate’s presence.
Yet here, today, he was feeling them strongly. It made him distracted, which he couldn't allow. Not when they were dealing with a true, honest to God alien. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted when his men and the citizens of this town depended on him. He was the highest ranking officer around, therefore everything that happened was his responsibility.
And he would not be responsible for any preventable deaths. Never again.
As a group of covered soldiers entered the alien's ship to investigate, Grawl watched the proceedings with a keen eye, aware of all the civilians ambling around, far too nosey for their own good.
Once the items belonging to the alien were laid out, Grawl looked them over with a frown. Now, he didn't wish to Glipponize the alien, but these items didn't look dangerous. In fact, they looked like things any average Glippon might bring on a long trip. Which was odd for an invader to do.
Putting on a glove, the General prodded at a flat screen device, stiffening when it turned on, the image of a… if he were to guess, an animal on the screen. A few of the soldiers watching gasped, the scientists whispering excitedly.
Next, he perused what looked like a… well. A romance novel. It almost made Grawl's lips twitch at the sheer absurdity of such an item in an alien invader's hold. What was the purpose of such a thing? Surely a monstrous being such as the invader didn't want to be entertained by swooning dames and dashing rogues?
The other items were as common as the previous two. A brush of some kind, a puzzle cube, and a notebook and some pens.
Blinking down at the collection, Grawl felt confused, slightly disappointed as well. This… wasn't what he was expecting. At all. He didn't consider for even a moment that this meant the alien wasn't a threat– plenty of enemy soldiers had had similar belongings, but that didn't stop them from shooting and killing people.
Peeling the glove off, Grawl went to order the items taken away, but a young woman pushed her way through the crowd towards him, looking determined. Pausing, the general looked towards her curiously.
“Can I help you, miss?” He asks as the young lady comes to a stop.
Nodding swiftly, she glanced around nervously, then gave him a shy smile.
“Yes, though if I may have a moment of your time, I believe I have important evidence for you.” She says, looking nervous under all the eyes on her.
With a hum, Grawl thought it was best to get her away from all these eyes and ears. In his experience, people revealed more when they were comfortable.
“Of course. Lead the way.” He says promptly, following the girl a little further away, towards… ah, she was the daughter of one of the families here. She led him towards what he presumed was her home, glancing up at a window a few times.
“Thank you, sir.” She says earnestly, a dazzling smile on her lips. A charming young lady, for sure. “I– oh, pardon, I don't know your name, sir.”
“General Korthan Grawl, miss.”
Her eyes darted up to the window again, and Grawl swore he saw movement from within. Suddenly, he was a bit more tense.
Clearing her throat, she cleared her throat. “Well, General, I have some… sensitive information regarding the alien. Information I believe you should personally learn first.”
He stared at her, fingers flexing; he was overly aware of the gun on his belt.
“Which is?” He asks slowly.
“… I managed to take a photo of the alien.” She said in a hurry– suspicious. “If you'd follow me up to my room, I can show you?”
Grawl stared at the young woman, wondering if he was about to walk into a trap.
With a deep sigh, he nodded his head once in a quick jerk, gesturing for her to lead him. As she walked ahead of him, he laid a hand on his gun, readying himself for an attack.
Chewing on your thumbnail, you tried to think about what you'd say to your soulmate.
Your alien soulmate.
Fuck.
Okay, you could totally do this. He was your soulmate after all, you were made for each other. Literally. So things should realistically work out.
That… or your soulmate kills you and offers your body up to be dissected.
Trying to be positive though, you ignored that possibility, pacing the length of Neera’s room while waiting for her to bring him up. Upon hearing his name, it had been confirmed, no more denying what your body was telling you. And now he was coming here.
Fuck.
Taking deep breaths, you tried to remain calm as you heard footsteps approach.
“–I promise you won't regret this, sir. You'll really like to see this.”
“We'll see about that, Ms. Adder.”
The door pushed open and you turned, freezing as you laid eyes on him up close for the first time. Upon seeing you, he froze as well.
You raised a hand. “Hi–”
Instantly he drew his gun, aiming it at you.
“Freeze! I don't know what diabolical plans you have and have drawn this young lady into, but I'll not be controlled as well!”
… okay, that's… a lot. Blinking slowly, you raised your hands.
“I… okay, I understand you're wary of me, but I swear I don't mean any harm.” You say slowly, holding his gaze. “Please. I just want to talk. Can I lower my sleeve?”
Grawl’s expression is filled with tension, eyes narrowed and trained on you. His gaze briefly flicked towards your wrist, and he swallows.
“… slowly.” He finally says, reluctance dripping from every syllable as he watches as you slowly, slowly, push your sleeve back, holding your bare wrist out to him.
“Please look.”
A beat of silence passed as he stared at you, distrust plain to see before he took a slight step closer, looking down at your wrist– only to still.
His eyes flashed, and he grabbed your hand, thumb brushing, rubbing across your soulmark. His face showed the disbelief he felt, and before he could suggest anything paranoid, you say your name.
He jerks, head snapping up. “Pardon?”
“My name.” You repeat it, glancing at his wrist. “It's there, isn't it? Regardless if you believe me, your own mark won't lie to you.”
Grawl didn't know what to do. Didn't know what to think.
His mark was pulsing, throbbing, encouraging him to move closer to you, to touch you more, to–
His soulmate was an alien. He needed to focus on that, not his… his desires. As instinctive and normal as they were, now was not the time for him to act on them.
Despite that, his fingers enveloped your wrist. It looked so small in his grip. Squeezing lightly, Grawl eyed the colourful script, the font being the most common one used on their world; his own soulmark was in a foreign font, one he'd never found anywhere else on his planet. And he'd looked. God, had he looked.
Finally, Grawl lifted his dark gaze to look into your eyes, putting his gun into its holster. Clearing his throat, he took a step back, needing the space (no matter what every inch of his being was begging him to move closer).
“We need to… talk.” He says, having difficult finding the words to speak. A new experience, he'd usually been sure when he spoke. Now? He was more wrong footed than he'd ever been before. “Regardless of our status, I need to be sure you're not a threat.”
You eyed him, then nodded. Grawl tried to not stare hungrily, drinking in your foreign features. But it felt a herculean task, the bond drawing him to you.
“I understand. But, uh,” you glanced behind him, “Neera won't be in trouble for helping me, right? She'll be fine?”
Blinking, Grawl looked back, having forgotten another was in the room with them. Absently, Grawl noted your concern for another person, one of his own kind, and felt… well. It was a positive point for you, to put it simply.
“Don't worry. She won't be charged with anything if that's your concern.” He says, holding a hand out to you as he turns towards the door. With barely any hesitation, you take it, and Grawl tries not to let on how his heart races at the feeling as he leads you downstairs.
When his soldiers catch sight of you, there's a moment of chaos. Yells, guns aimed and charged, civilians herded away in a rush. But he took control before things could escalate, ordering his men to stand down.
(He ignores the flash of all consuming fear he felt when he saw the guns aimed at you. He needed to be professional. He couldn't let his feelings get in the way, not at this moment.)
He explains that you're peaceful and to be interrogated, nothing more. Pretty soon Grawl is sitting across from you, a few scientists joining him as a recording device sits between you.
As due process calls for, he states the date and time and then gives a brief explanation for what's going on, then asks you to introduce yourself.
You introduce yourself, state your species, age, gender, and purpose.
“My planet, Earth, sent me and fifty-nine other trained individuals to see firsthand if the planets we've discovered to be hospitable to human life are truly so. At no point in that time did anyone suspect other life may exist on these planets. On behalf of my people, I apologize for the scare I caused. I didn't expect to be in this position.”
Grawl glances at the scientists who are scribbling away on their clipboards.
“Understandable, I suppose.” He says, beginning to go through the list of questions that had once been prepared long ago for this very scenario.
“Do your kind have any powers?”
“I… not by our own standards, but there could be odd quirks normal to my species that seem like a superpower to your own.”
“Are your species violent?”
“… yes. I'm not sure about your own kind, but my planet has a long history of violence and war. While it's been a few hundred years since anything like that has last happened, it would be a lie to claim we aren't violent.”
“What is your species diet, what does it consist of?”
“Humans are omnivores. So meats, fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts, dairy…”
And the questions went on. By the time they were done two hours had gone by and Grawl's patience was about to snap. The mark was burning at this point, and he needed to get you alone, to sate the bond's urges.
You seemed to be feeling the same way, so after the interrogation was finished, Grawl gave an order not to be disturbed unless an emergency and took you to a military tent that had been erected. It would have to do for now.
The second you both were alone Grawl pulled you close, antennas brushing against you, breathing you in. The burning faded some, and he relaxed.
“I always heard…” His hands squeezed at your waist, your own on his shoulders. “But I never imagined it would be like this.”
“Yeah, I…” You shiver, one of his antenna nudging your cheek. You chuckle a bit. “It's strong, huh? I feel like I'm seconds away from jumping you.”
He hums, giving you an occasional squeeze, pressing as close as possible, chest to chest with you.
“I'd prefer our first time be in my bed.” He murmurs, lips brushing against your jaw. “Or at least behind a door that can be locked.”
You make a noise, tilting your head to brush your lips against his. “That sounds good to me. But… a little kissing is fine, right?”
He pecked you, soft and exploratory.
“Right.”
His mouth connected with yours, swallowing your groan of satisfaction as finally, finally the burning stopped, disappearing as you both kissed each other deep, your fingers threading through his hair-tendrils while he cradled the back of your head, palm tickled by your hair. He guided you backwards, pushing you against a table, hungry for more, damn near insatiable as he tasted you, tongues slipping against each other in a messy tangle, teeth briefly clacking together making you exhale in amusement, nipping at his bottom lip in retaliation.
Grawl lost himself in you, elated to finally have his soulmate in his arms.
While your presence created many issues and raised many questions, it all felt far away. Glippon law dictated that as General Grawl’s soulmate, you couldn't be harmed, taken, or be mistreated. By all means, you were a citizen of this planet the second the soulbond was consummated. Which–
“That was nice.” You murmur lazily, cheek pressed against his chest, squished, as you lay half on top of him, snuggled close.
Clothes littered the floor, taken off in a hurry. It shouldn't have been a surprise, soulmate bonds tending to push people together as fast as possible. Though it was likely amplified by the fact the both of you had been so far apart all these years and had immediately been attracted to one another.
Beneath you, Grawl made an agreeing hum. “Very.” He says, contentment radiating off of him, form completely relaxed after your thorough lovemaking. “How are you feeling? Was I too rough?”
You huff quietly, stretching a leg out. “You weren't. I'm fine, just tired. And I feel a little bloated.”
He clears his throat a bit, rubbing your back. “Ah, those would be the eggs.”
You paused. Lifting your head, you stare at him.
“The… eggs? As in you laid eggs in me?”
He nods. “Yes.”
“Ah.” You stared at him for a moment longer before dropping your head, sighing. “We're talking about that more tomorrow. For now…” You snuggle closer, if possible, tugging the quilt up to your waist. “I'm tired. The week has had more excitement stuffed into it than I've had in my entire life.”
A slight chuckle echoes under your ear, and your soulmate kisses your brow, antennas doing their wiggle-sniff.
“You're not wrong. Rest then, and we can discuss our future in the morning–”
You pressed a finger to his lips. “Shhh, no important stuff before bed or it'll play on my mind.” You whisper-hiss at him, making him chuckle again, hugging you close.
“Alright, alright. I'll be quiet. Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Mm, goodnight, Grawl.”