Chapter Twenty-Two: I'm a Survivor.

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Wikus just knew that Nngerae had told Oliver what he'd suggested to him, that he should take Christopher to the Festival. How did Wikus know that Oliver knew? Because the younger Polepkwan kept grinning and looking between his father and Wikus for the entire evening meal.

This, Wikus decided, was why he resolved to never tell Oliver anything secretive.

Christopher looked confused, but seemed to shrug it off as just his son being weird.

As soon as Oliver had finished his food, he placed his plate to the floor and announced he was going to see Nngerae. Wikus was grateful he was leaving, since he wasn't sure if he'd have the courage to ask Christopher when the boy was present, but terrified that the boy was leaving the pair alone. What if Wikus couldn't speak and they just sat there in awkward silence?

He didn't really have a choice, as Oliver gave them both a quick hug each and left the room - assumingly to actually find Nngerae and giggle over their attempt at matchmaking.

Why had he decided to listen to the guard again?

"Are you alright, Wikus?" Christopher asked, placing his empty plate atop Oliver's on the floor, stacking the dishes neatly. "You have been silent all day."

Wikus forced a smile, and placed his plate down - not completely finished but he couldn't stomach any more food at the moment. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me so much," Wikus scolded lightly. If Christopher just stopped worrying about him, Wikus wouldn't need to invite him to the Festival, because Christopher wouldn't think he was still mourning and he would actually ask him himself!

"I enjoy worrying over you, Wikus," Christopher admitted. "You need someone to."

The smile Wikus gained was not as forced now. "I know, and I do appreciate it. It's just-" he cut himself off. He wasn't going to moan about Christopher needing to stop thinking he was mourning. That was the worst way to start up the conversation.

"Just - what?" Christopher prompted.

"Nothing. I, uh, heard something interesting in lessons today," Wikus said, skilfully changing the subject.

"Oh?" Christopher asked, shifting so he was sitting next to Wikus instead of across from him on the floor.

"Yeah," Wikus agreed, enjoying the solid presence beside him. "A, uh, festival is coming up?"

Christopher didn't seem effected by the news. "Yes, the Day of the Blossoms."

"Well," Wikus continued, staring now at his hands. "Iwasthinkingwecouldgotogether."

When sentences ran together in English, they were sometimes able to be deciphered due to the different noises. Unfortunately, Polepkwan run-on sentences sounded almost exactly like just one long whirl, making it extremely hard to figure out what was said.

"Say that again?" Christopher prompted, confused.

Wikus blanched. He'd already said it once, why did Christopher want him to repeat it? It was hard enough the first time.

"Iwasthinkingwecouldgotogether," he said again, just as quickly.

Christopher laughed this time. "Again, Wikus, but slower." He placed a hand on Wikus' arm, attempting to soothe him but it did the opposite.

Wikus took a deep, steadying breath and tried to make his mouth move slower.

"I wanted us to go together - to the festival," Wikus said slowly, staring at his hands which rested in his lap. Wikus felt like he was asking out Angel again. He'd be so nervous the first time, he'd almost passed out due to anxiety while waiting outside the door for her to come downstairs - but that might have been due to the fact Wikus was waiting with Angel's father, a very intimidating man.

Christopher hesitated. "Do you know what this means, Wikus?" He asked. "Do you know...the reason for this festival?"

"To celebrate the blossoms which bloom," Wikus answered promptly and saw Christopher's face fall. He wanted to laugh, but he didn't. "And as a courting ceremony, for intendeds," he added, and Christopher's gaze snapped to his.

"You do know," Christopher murmured, running his hand up Wikus' arm to his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to go with me? We can go as a family, us and Oliver."

Wikus shook his head. "No, Oliver's going with Nngerae," Wikus admitted and Christopher frowned.

"To court him?" Christopher demanded.

"No!" Wikus laughed, though he had asked the same question. "As friends. I think." He frowned. Nngerae had said it was a plan to get Wikus and Christopher alone at the festival, but he hadn't really denied that he might like to court Oliver.

He'd have to have a talk with that guard, he decided, before refocusing on his intended, who was gazing at him with some emotion which Wikus could not place.

"I would be honoured," Christopher began, "to be your escort to the Day of the Blossoms." He brushed his mandibles against Wikus' cheek, and Wikus leaned into his intended, resting his head upon the male's shoulder.

Well, he thought, that wasn't so hard.

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The day of the festival approached quickly, without Wikus noticing. It wasn't until Lessons that day that he realised what day it was, and spent the entire lesson nervously contemplating what would happen that noon, when everyone would begin their trek towards the blooms.

He would walk with Christopher, and he knew the other male would not steer him astray, but still, what would happen?

He knew of the customs, barely. They would give thanks to the flowers with the blooms, eat, drink and be merry and then the courting festival would happen in the evening, when the sun began to set. Christopher had been sure to let him know what to expect, but it did not make the experience any less nerve-wracking.

Nngerae and Oliver were waiting outside the room for him when Lessons ended. Oliver grabbed his arm and began to lead him away, even before asking, "are you ready?" Nngerae just followed behind, looking amused.

"Yeah," Wikus assented. "I think I am."

I hope I am.

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The trek began after the midday meal, Christopher finding Wikus and Oliver in the dinning hall easily. He took Wikus' hand without hesitating, pulling him into him for a quick embrace before returning his gaze to his son.

"Ready?" He asked the two of them.

Oliver answered for both of them. "Of course we are! Let's go, I want to get there early."

Nngerae, who had been putting their dirty plates away, returned and grabbed hold of Oliver's arm before he could race of. "Do you want us to walk with you?" Nngerae asked Wikus and Christopher.

Christopher hesitated, eyeing the guard with a wary expression, before shaking his head. "No, we'll be fine. Do not let Oliver race too far ahead of the group though."

Oliver, who barely waited for his father's approval, tugged at Nngerae, eager to get moving.

"That might be hard, Umjher, but I will try!" Nngerae announced, laughing as he was pulled away by the hyperactive youth.

"They'd make a cute couple," Wikus remarked, mostly to tease Christopher, who had been rather short with Nngerae since finding out he was escorting Oliver to the festival.

"Wikus," Christopher groaned, shaking his head. "Do not say such things. My son is barely more than a hatchling. He should not be thinking of mates."

Wikus laughed. "Typical father. You just don't want him to grow up," he teased as they began to walk, hands still entwined.

"I do not," Christopher agreed seriously. "He is my only offspring. I will be sad once he has started his own brood."

"It will be a while yet," Wikus assured him sympathetically. "He is still young and, for what it's worth, I do not think Oliver sees this festival as anything relating to courting."

Christopher heaved a sigh and gave Wikus a gentle smile. "I hope you are right. I am not ready to lose him yet."

"You'll never lose him. He's still your son, whether he has a mate or not," Wikus said. "And just think. Grandhatchlings!"

The expression on Christopher's face was a mix of horror, wonder and complete mortification and Wikus could not help but laugh.

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Within an hour, Wikus was sick of walking. He had become used to the pressure, but still it wore heavily on his unused muscles and he began to lean more and more on his future partner, who held his waist in a firm grip.

"Not long now," Christopher assured gently, sounding amused. Damn him, thought Wikus. Laughing at his weakness.

"Wikus!" A voice called out from behind him, causing Wikus to glance back. A smile bloomed in his eyes immediately as he spotted the duo.

"Joseph! Amelia!" Wikus called back to them, as they raced up, arms linked, to walk behind them. "You are going to the festival?"

"Yes," Joseph agreed, beaming at Wikus. "We are intending to announce our partnership tonight."

"I thought it was only a courting festival?" Wikus asked, releasing Christopher and turning, walking backwards so that he could look at the pair behind them. Christopher cast him an amused look and continued to walk forwards.

"That's early in the night," Amelia explained patiently. "Later, beneath the seven moons, we are allowed to announce our partnerships and they will become official."

"Oh," Wikus said, glancing at Christopher, who was staring pointedly ahead.

Joseph's eyes widened at the glance. "You and Umhjer?" He whispered, despite the fact Christopher would hear it easily.

Wikus gave an embarrassed smile. "Just courting," he explained, though his mind was on the later festival.

"Congratulations," Amelia offered, and Joseph quickly echoed the sentiment.

"Thank you," Christopher said, glancing back at them and giving them a slight nod. He didn't seem overly fond of the couple, but Wikus assumed it was because he had though he and Joseph involved at one point.

"Will we see you at the festival?" Wikus asked. He had missed the pair who had shared his tent on earth for so long.

"Yes," Jospeh agreed. "We'll find you and have a meal or a drink with you, I promise."

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Joseph kept that promise to Wikus, staying for many hours at the festival grounds - a lovely lush flat ground, the moss like covering an odd shade of purple this time. Oliver and Nngerae joined Wikus and Christopher for food and drinks as well, before disappearing off for some unknown reason.

Probably to give Wikus and Christopher privacy, of which there was none at the festival.

It was like an ant's nest, thriving with life and covered completely in Polepkwan. It was a dizzing sight.

"Where are the blossoms?" Wikus asked, noticing no flowers in the area.

"They don't bloom until night," Christopher explained, arms wrapped around his intended. "That is why the courting is in the evening, just before the blooms finally open."

"Oh." Wikus nodded, amused that everyone had come out so early then, simply to drink a bubbly concoction which Wikus supposed was like their alcohol, and eat food which still looked like catfood.

"Are you not enjoying the festival?" Christopher wanted to know, brushing his fingers across Wikus' cheek.

"I am," Wikus hurried to assure, smiling."It's just...a bit much."

Christopher laughed and drew his future partner to his feet. "Then come with me. We will go somewhere quiet," he promised.

Wikus would have followed him anyway, but he was grateful for the promise of quiet.

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The place of quiet turned out to be a lovely little smaller clearing, not that far from the festival. It had a few other couples in it, who smiled at Wikus and Christopher but did not approach them, returning to their own conversations instead. Wikus was grateful and sat beside Christopher beside one of the laying trees.

"Better?" Christopher asked, no longer needing to shout for Wikus to hear him.

"Much," Wikus assured him, leaning into his chest.

They could hear the noise of the nearby festival continuing and it was only when the dark began to fall did the noise fade.

"Those who are not courting are leaving," Christopher explained quietly, reluctant to go back to the festival and the noise. He and Wikus had be talking amongst themselves for hours, and the idea of returning to noise was unappealing.

"Shouldn't we be going back to the festival then?" Wikus asked, but made no attempt to move.

"Yes," Christopher agreed with a sigh.

Many of the other couples had risen and were now slowly walking back towards the festival grounds, leaving Wikus and Christopher on their own.

"Can't we stay here and still be 'courting'?" Wikus asked.

"No," Christopher laughed. "I wish we could, but it must be official." He groaned and pushed himself to his feet, dragging Wikus up as well. "We must make an appearance at least."

Wikus sighed but walked back to the festival, hand entwined with Christopher's like it had been all night.

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Returning to the festival grounds, Wikus spotted Amelia and Joseph eating what looked a little like fruit - though they ate the outside and threw away the core, rather then the other way around. The couples were all segregated off in pairs. There was no groups and Wikus realised that it truly was only the couples.

"What now?" Wikus asked Christopher, laughing as Christopher simply raised a fruit to offer to Wikus.

"It's tradition," Christopher admitted. "Soon the other members will return and we will go and see the blooms, but for now, the couples must eat the fruit."

A weird tradition, yes, but Wikus found that most of the Polepkwan life was weird, so he accepted the fruit, waiting to see how Christopher ate it before attempting it himself. "Are all of your festivals centered around food?" Wikus asked, attempting to bite the skin of the fruit.

"Yes." Christopher sounded amused, and Wikus realised it was not from his question, but rather from watching Wikus try to eat the fruit. Wikus scowled at him, and made a disapproving noise, causing the male to laugh and go back to eating his own fruit. "Food and nature. That is the reasons we celebrate."

Not too much different from earth then, Wikus thought, if nature was replaced by 'alcohol', it was be exactly the same.

"Is Nngerae and Oliver here?" Wikus asked suddenly, remembering the younger pair. Both parents began to scan the grounds, releaved to find Oliver no where in sight. "Hey, Nngerae was telling the truth. They actually aren't courting," Wikus remarked, unsure of if he should be happy or not.

"Good." Christopher clearly had no problem deciding how to feel. "Oliver is too young."

Wikus hid a smile and continued to eat his fruit. It was more bitter then others he had tried but not bad. The texture was that of a sponge though, a less appealing texture then earth fruit.

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Soon, the festival was crowded again, and Oliver had reclaimed his place between his fathers, Nngerae no where in sight.

"He's with his family," Oliver explained, "now that the courting is over and you two can 'watch out for me' again." He was quoting something the guard had said, apparently, from the exasperated look on the youth's face.

Wikus grinned. "You do need a guardian," he mused, chuckling as Oliver huffed. He wrapped his arm around the boy, and turned his gaze back towards the huge flowers. They were at the front of the group, thanks to Christopher's hero status, so he was able to see them clearly.

The flowers themselves, even with their petals tightly coiled in, were huge. Bigger then cars on earth and vibrant colours he had never thought to see in flowers. Different hues of blue and greens mixed together on the petals, making a marble-like texture to the flower's petals, even without being opened.

"Do they take long to open?" Wikus asked, curiously watching the sun slip beneath the horizon slowly.

"Only a few minutes," Christopher said, arm around Oliver and Wikus. "Shh. It's starting."

As soon as the last rays of sunlight faded from the sky, the orange light which had been reflecting across the sky gone, the flowers began to shift noticeable. Excited whirling started in the crowd and Wikus watched with wide eyes as the outer petals began to pull away, revealing petal after petal beneath them.

It may have taken minutes, or hours, Wikus did not think to count, as the huge blooms began to reveal the full extent of their size. With the petals extended, they were larger then some buses on earth, but far more beautiful then they would ever be. The colours seemed to shine in the night as the moons glow cast down upon them.

A cheer went up in the crowd as the final bloom opened, and once again, the food was passed around and the drinks supplied to all who requested one.

The festival had begun a new, this time with a quieter tone. The food was eaten softly, and the drinks drunk quietly, before a line began to form to reach the blossoms. Each Polepkwan moved forward, selecting a blossom and touching it gently. They would whisper something into the coil of petals and then move on, back to their loved ones.

"They are telling the blossoms their hopes for this year," Christopher explained quietly. "So that our land may hear and bless us like it has blessed the flowers with beauty and life."

"Ah," Wikus said, staring at the long line. "Will you- ?"

Christopher nodded. "Yes, it is tradition." Tradition seemed as important here as it had been on earth.

"Then I will to," Wikus agreed, and soon they found themselves in line, Oliver behind them, chattering about what he had hoped for the year before, but had been unable to ask the blossoms since he had been in space.

This would be the first time in years that the duo were able to ask the land for something and Wikus wondered if it would work. Or if the land would even listen to him, since he was not born as they were and this was not his home.

He hesitated when it came to his turn, and stepped forward. He selected a smaller blossom, one who's petals did not glow quite as bright. Not many had selected his one, perhaps due to it's imperfections but Wikus liked it.

It was like him.

Similar, but still different from all the others.

He touched the petals, surprised to feel they were warm and not cold to the touch. Leaning in, he hesitated before whispering, "I was never big on hope. I had everything I thought I needed back on earth. Now, I think I have everything I actually need." He paused, glancing back at Oliver, who was whispering into some flower, and Christopher, standing off to the side watching them both with what could only be a loving expression on his face.

"I hope I am happy here," he told the flower. "I hope I can keep this love I found. I hope...that this will be a home to me, because I don't want to leave again." He touched the flower again, feeling the petals heat beneath his touch.

He smiled and stepped away, meeting Oliver on his way back to Christopher and linking arms with his son.

"What did you hope for?" Oliver asked. There was no superstition which said that it was wrong to tell, but some kept it private anyway.

"For you," Wikus said, as they reached Christopher's side, "and for your father - to never get tired of me." That was one way of putting it, without admitting it completely.

Christopher looked amused and drew Wikus into his arms. "You do not need to hope, because that will never happen," he assured his future partner.

"I hoped for siblings," Oliver announced, horrifying both Wikus and Christopher. The boy whirled with laughter at the horror etched upon the males' faces, and was unable to stop long enough to tell them that it had been a joke.

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Although the festival was over, and many were returning, Wikus and Christopher stayed - as did a few others. Oliver was beside them, resting against Wikus tiredly, and making the occasional whirl as Wikus rubbed his arm soothingly.

"Who do they announce their partnership to?" Wikus asked quietly, watching as couples paired up for the final ceremony of the night.

"Nobody and everybody," Christopher said. "It is not said to one person, it is said to everything, so that everything on this planet knows who they have claimed."

That was...adorable, Wikus decided, and rather romantic. He smiled at Joseph and Amelia who were taking their place on the grounds. Sitting together, the couple smiled back at them, and glanced up at the moons.

All seven had to be visible, else the partnership was not real.

Moments passed as the couples waited on baited breath for the last moon to become visible.

Finally, it slipped into view, the tiny speck hardly a moon at all compared to the others, but important none the less.

Couples began to speak up, announcing their partnership.

Several couples later, Joseph stood, catching Wikus' attention. "I, H'ahrll, announce my partnership with Tai'rrr."

Amelia stood, linking her hand with Joseph's. "I, Tai'rrr, announce my partnership with H'ahrll."

There was no cheer, just silent acknowledgement as the couple returned to their seat, now bound in the eyes of everything.

Wikus, in a moment of crazy impulse, thought of standing and announcing his partnership to Umhjer, to Christopher, but the weight of Oliver at his side stopped him. He glanced at the boy who'd become a son, and glanced back at the man who would be his partner some day, and found that he really didn't want it to change just yet. This new life wasn't fancy, or complicated. He didn't have wealth or jewels. He had family again, and Wikus hadn't quite realised how much he had missed that.

He didn't really even know what being partners actually meant, he didn't know if this was what Christopher wanted, and how Oliver would handle it. They were courting, officially, and maybe next year - or next festival, since Wikus wasn't sure how often this actually happened - they would announce themselves.

But, for now, Wikus was happy just being Roi'jerrrl, the future partner of Umjher and someday the official father (though at the moment, merely a comfortable pillow) to Faerr'le.

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F i n

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Author's Note:

Sappy ending? Perhaps, but I'm a sap at heart.

It's weird to think of this as 'over'. It was suppose to be a fun little project to get me back into writing, which it certainly did. I am very pleased that it is over the 50k word mark, as I'd hoped I would.

I want to thank everyone who reviewed this story at any point, added this story to their favourites or their alerts. Your support was very much appreciated and I was very grateful for it! The reviews for the last chapter made me happy, but sad, as I knew I was finishing this story and so many asked for 'more' of this story. There may be an epilogue added, but for now, this story is finished.

Thank you all again for your support! Now is the time to review, even if you haven't reviewed before, and let me know how you found the story. I appreciate all feedback.

Much love,

-Liaa