Ch. 6 - Runaways

The long stretch of road they traveled along was usually congested and the flaws in its structure that were left unattended were mostly unnoticed because of the low speeds cars traveled along it at , but the day and time left the road relatively empty and maneuverable to make for a quick and bumpy ride .

Luna sat in the middle of the two sleeping figures on the scarcely filled bus ; Raya's head was almost completely dependent on Luna's shoulder as she used her as a temporary bed and teddy bear while Cor leaned only slightly against her , sitting slumped but steady . She found solace in the fact that she wasn't completely crushed .

Her eyes were fixed on the space between her own hand placed on her lap and Cor's hand that rested beside it on the bus seat . She wondered whether she was doing the right thing , helping Cor run away from his people and his world . He'd explained to the two that the people from his world -- The Guardians -- were searching for him . He intentionally left out why , and beat around the bush with talk about going against order when Raya had bluntly questioned him . He was telling the truth when he said he didn't mean to leave his planet and come to Earth -- Luna felt it when he was looking her dead in the eyes as he spoke -- but he'd made a wrong move and hadn't known what was going on when he ended up floating in a lake far , far from his planet . He was scared , ran in any direction , and ended up climbing through Luna's open window for shelter .

Thinking back , Luna recognized a disconnect in his explanation . He'd fallen asleep , was what he'd told her initially . Now , it was that he messed up and somehow ended up on Earth . She believed she could trust him with everything in her , but the lie made it more confusing . The lie made her wonder why did she trust the strange , pretty alien boy with her home and her friend ? With her life ?

Her hand moved through the space between them to tap along the knuckles of his hand , and sure enough the light touch was enough to get him to smoothly open his eyes . So effortlessly , she wondered if he'd even been sleeping .

" Cor , why did you lie ? Why do you trust me ? " Why do I trust you ?

She didn't want to try and turn to him very much , being courteous to the girl hanging onto her like a barrel monkey , but she saw no drastic change in his expression in her peripheral , just him straightening up and turning his head , no doubt looking into her eyes . She didn't mind him doing so , even after realizing he could tell what she was thinking more clearly by looking into them . She wondered if the dark , almost black color of her iris proved useful in some way , though -- if not aesthetically then by making the castle of her thoughts more soundly guarded .

" I didn't want you to have more questions , I didn't want to scare you off with the answers . " Luna's unspoken questions were then heard and responded to en masse , a pointed look past Luna and towards Raya as he did , " I will tell you the whole truth , later , I promise . "

" If you were going to scare me off , you would've done it when you told me you were from another planet . "

" But even with this little information , you're doubting if you want to help me . "

He was right , but apparently had skimmed over the fact that of course she wasn't going to abandon him now . She said she was going to help him and she meant it , despite the term help somehow becoming even more complicated , she wouldn't go back on her word . Especially considering that they were already in the process of running away with him and had a target on their backs now , too , as Cor had earlier explained and profusely apologized for .

Raya didn't visibly mind too much , patting Cor on the back and consoling him while Luna processed the information , somewhat numb and somewhat scared .

Cor made a small humming sound , sweet and comforting .

" About my trust , your trust . "

Luna was pulled out of her thoughts and she almost turned before the weight of Raya's head registered in her mind again .

" Is there an actual reason ? It's not just me ? " Luna was relieved at the same time a calming sort of sorrow crept in . If there was a reason , was what she felt even real or worth anything ?

Cor turned his head towards the front of the bus and Luna was appreciative of the small privacy .

" Yes , I know it's not the same for you and your people , but when we kiss , we share a part of ourselves with another person . It's like ... a temporary gift , kind of -- a borrowed toy . "

Luna's face started to warm at where the conversation was going , intrigue keeping her from shutting down the topic at hand .

" When we kiss , it's a sign of trust . If someone is trustworthy , nothing will happen . If they aren't , you and the other person will be sick for about a week . An immobilizing kind of sickness -- it's pretty terrible . " Cor paused , and immediately Luna broke into his explanation .

" We never kissed . "

The comment hung in the air for a while until Cor's face loosened back into neutrality and he continued on .

" It's an analyzing sort of software put into us as children along with many other softwares . I always found that it was entirely a nuisance , 80% of the time you would get sick , but it was a popular addition when I was born so that's just what I ended up with . I came in through your window and I kissed you -- "

" You kissed me !? " It was a whisper yell , but harsh nonetheless . Cor's frown grew prevalent on his face as he placed his hand on Luna's lap , on top of her hand . She shut up .

" I kissed you . I was scared , I remembered it and I thought it would be best if I were able to trust someone in this weird new place . I was lucky I didn't get sick , but after that I knew I could trust you . " He folded his fingers between hers and curled his fingers beneath her hand . She thought for a bit , and eventually curled her fingers in line with his .

" If it's like borrowing a toy , did I already give it back ? "

Cor nodded and hummed an affirmative , " That's where the trust comes in , where I figured out through the software whether or not what you gave back was good or not . "

" What if it's just because I'm a human and your not ? "

" Our bodies wouldn't react this way , then . We kiss with our close friends to prove trustworthiness , but this kind of closeness " Cor turned his head again to stare at Luna , not necessarily her eyes , just at her , " this feeling it gave us , it's more than usual . More than just the bond I've experienced with friends , I think it goes beyond that . This software only amplifies or adds to a bond , either in a positive or negative way . At the very least , this feeling is real . "

Luna's face heated immediately , and her hand under his felt sweaty all of a sudden . She'd prepared herself for her thoughts to be invalidated , now was he trying to say that they were not only valid but backed up by strange alien human-tech crap ?

" Do you want to know what the ' weirdo alien crap ' was marketed as ? "

She mumbled out an embarrassed sure and Cor laughed quietly .

" Something like Find Your Forever Partner Match-You Add . "

Luna laughed under her breath in spite of the underlying message of his words .

" That's a terrible name . "

Luna decided to turn her herself just enough to Cor so that she could look him in the eye and hopefully not startle Raya awake with her movement . Raya stirred , gripping Luna tighter and mumbling something before settling back down . Luna let out a breath of air , happy Raya was not too light a sleeper before looking into Cor's eyes again .

" I don't really understand everything about your technology and your bodies , but I think I feel a close bond too -- maybe it's just me or maybe it's your weird kiss software telling me . Is there some way you can let me know it's real ? "

Cor grinned , bright . He was always glowing , it was hard to imagine him do wrong . Luna would have to get everything he knew from him . Later . For now she just wanted to envelope herself in his smile .

" The idea that you can trust me doesn't go away , but the other effects only last for 7 days , and every kiss after the first aren't subject to the software's influence . "

It had already been a full week . So time was up , no more amplified feelings . Now she was just feeling what she was feeling . That blew any doubt away from her mind , sighing in relief as she held up their hands to her heart .

Just to be sure of everything before she did something brash , she searched herself for a moment , closing her eyes . She trusted him a whole lot , yes . Cared about him a whole lot , uh huh . Really liked him , that was very true . Wanted to kiss him , yup . Was scared , definitely .

What was she supposed to do falling in love with an alien fugitive ?