the tiny spaceship above exploded, sending out a wave of raw energy which struck Dove’s crumpled body.
* * *
Matthew ran a frantic hand over Dove’s neck to find his pulse. “Don’t be dead, you selfish son of a—!”
Dove sat up, blinked, and cocked his head at Matthew.
“Holy shit! Take it easy now; I’ll get help. You were… I think you were dead there a minute!” Matthew spoke through numb lips, so freaked out while his hands slid over Dove’s soaked clothing, Dove’s icy skin.
“Where… am… I?” Dove demanded.
The hairs on the back of Matthew’s neck prickled as the guard behind them opened the door and ran toward him and his former boss. Years at being on his guard in prison had honed Matthew’s instincts. That voice and the look in Dove’s eyes….
Something felt off.
“We’re, uh, outside your office.”
Dove cocked his head again, almost insect-like, and studied the building that towered above him and his half-naked former janitor. “I’m lost,” he told Matthew wistfully.
The guard arrived, giving Matthew a scandalized look, and Matthew flushed because of how he must look, with his pants around his ankles and his tackle hanging out in the rain, tangled up with his former boss who was acting like, an alien or something!
“You just need to go to the hospital with the nice paramedics and get checked out. You were hit by lightning.”
You were dead. No, impossible.
The guard was on his radio, summoning help. Well, thank fuck for that. Soon he’d be on the city bus out of here, and he could begin figuring out how to get a new job before January second, his next appointment with his parole officer. With the janitor deal gone, he wouldn’t exactly be living it up for the holidays, but he had no one to buy a gift for. No one at all.
Still dazed by this trippy night, Matthew hurriedly did up his pants, blushing again because Dove was staring at his parts.
“Will you be my Earth friend?” Dove asked earnestly.
“What the Christ is wrong with him?” the guard demanded, looking freaked. He probably was worried he’d lose his cushy job if the big boss bought it on his rotation.
“Got his eggs scrambled by the lightning, but he’s….” Matthew swallowed, not sure Dove was all right. That chilly skin. The flat intonations of his voice. The weird buzz of static when Matthew touched him.
“Jesus. He’s lucky to be alive! That was some freaky storm! And that weird green light, what do you think that was?”
“Dunno, didn’t see it.” Matthew steadied Dove, who was looking around, bewildered, moving stiffly as if to get accustomed to his own body again. Suddenly Dove fell down. The powerful CEO wrapped his arms around Matthew’s legs. “Help me. I’m afraid.”
“Oh shit!” Matthew pulled him to his feet and then, embarrassed because of the way the guard was staring at him and Dove, patted the larger man awkwardly. “You’ll be fine. You were just… hurt a little. Maybe in your head, yeah?”
Dove nodded. “My eyes don’t work like they should,” he noted, before continuing mournfully, “I’m not in my own body anymore.”
“Uh. Right.”
“I’m scared.” Dove was actually trembling under Matthew’s hands.
Matthew grasped Dove’s hands, looking into formerly hard brown eyes and seeing only… innocence?
“Don’t be,” he said softly, unwillingly snared by that frightened look.
“Will you be my Earth friend?”
“Yeah, okay.” Shit! Matthew was glad to see the ambulance had arrived. He watched two men get out, remove a stretcher, and head in their direction, but when the attendants looked at Dove, he refused to let go of his death grip on Matthew’s hand. “He’s my Earth friend,” he told the two men firmly.
“Did he hit his head?” one of them asked Matthew, opening Dove’s dark brown eye wide and shining a light into it, which made Dove squirm and try to pull away.
Matthew shook his head. “He was hit by the lightning. I
* * *
Matthew ran a frantic hand over Dove’s neck to find his pulse. “Don’t be dead, you selfish son of a—!”
Dove sat up, blinked, and cocked his head at Matthew.
“Holy shit! Take it easy now; I’ll get help. You were… I think you were dead there a minute!” Matthew spoke through numb lips, so freaked out while his hands slid over Dove’s soaked clothing, Dove’s icy skin.
“Where… am… I?” Dove demanded.
The hairs on the back of Matthew’s neck prickled as the guard behind them opened the door and ran toward him and his former boss. Years at being on his guard in prison had honed Matthew’s instincts. That voice and the look in Dove’s eyes….
Something felt off.
“We’re, uh, outside your office.”
Dove cocked his head again, almost insect-like, and studied the building that towered above him and his half-naked former janitor. “I’m lost,” he told Matthew wistfully.
The guard arrived, giving Matthew a scandalized look, and Matthew flushed because of how he must look, with his pants around his ankles and his tackle hanging out in the rain, tangled up with his former boss who was acting like, an alien or something!
“You just need to go to the hospital with the nice paramedics and get checked out. You were hit by lightning.”
You were dead. No, impossible.
The guard was on his radio, summoning help. Well, thank fuck for that. Soon he’d be on the city bus out of here, and he could begin figuring out how to get a new job before January second, his next appointment with his parole officer. With the janitor deal gone, he wouldn’t exactly be living it up for the holidays, but he had no one to buy a gift for. No one at all.
Still dazed by this trippy night, Matthew hurriedly did up his pants, blushing again because Dove was staring at his parts.
“Will you be my Earth friend?” Dove asked earnestly.
“What the Christ is wrong with him?” the guard demanded, looking freaked. He probably was worried he’d lose his cushy job if the big boss bought it on his rotation.
“Got his eggs scrambled by the lightning, but he’s….” Matthew swallowed, not sure Dove was all right. That chilly skin. The flat intonations of his voice. The weird buzz of static when Matthew touched him.
“Jesus. He’s lucky to be alive! That was some freaky storm! And that weird green light, what do you think that was?”
“Dunno, didn’t see it.” Matthew steadied Dove, who was looking around, bewildered, moving stiffly as if to get accustomed to his own body again. Suddenly Dove fell down. The powerful CEO wrapped his arms around Matthew’s legs. “Help me. I’m afraid.”
“Oh shit!” Matthew pulled him to his feet and then, embarrassed because of the way the guard was staring at him and Dove, patted the larger man awkwardly. “You’ll be fine. You were just… hurt a little. Maybe in your head, yeah?”
Dove nodded. “My eyes don’t work like they should,” he noted, before continuing mournfully, “I’m not in my own body anymore.”
“Uh. Right.”
“I’m scared.” Dove was actually trembling under Matthew’s hands.
Matthew grasped Dove’s hands, looking into formerly hard brown eyes and seeing only… innocence?
“Don’t be,” he said softly, unwillingly snared by that frightened look.
“Will you be my Earth friend?”
“Yeah, okay.” Shit! Matthew was glad to see the ambulance had arrived. He watched two men get out, remove a stretcher, and head in their direction, but when the attendants looked at Dove, he refused to let go of his death grip on Matthew’s hand. “He’s my Earth friend,” he told the two men firmly.
“Did he hit his head?” one of them asked Matthew, opening Dove’s dark brown eye wide and shining a light into it, which made Dove squirm and try to pull away.
Matthew shook his head. “He was hit by the lightning. I
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