A Protogen's Misadventures

Mutual Feelings

We were relaxing in our ship when Jovian came onto the radio. “Attention all ships, we are going to be landing on a planet not far from here so we can regroup and rest before we assault the GMC Station. Coordinates are being transmitted now.” A new message appeared over the flight board, and our pilot inputted the new coordinates. “You know, I’m glad they are doing this. I need some rest after that intense showdown at the prison,” I said, eager to finally be able to rest a bit. “You could say that again,” Evergreen responded. After another few minutes of flying through space, we finally reached our rest spot. It seemed to be an Earth-like planet, with water and breathable air. “Place seems nice,” I said. “Yeah, wonder how it wasn’t found by the GMC?” Evergreen asked. “Good point, but from what I can tell, it looks like there is no intelligent life for the GMC to enslave, only plants and stuff,” I responded. “Imagine if they had plants working for ‘em,” he said. I laughed. That would be funny.

We landed and got to helping unpack and set up our site. “Jack, can you hand me that tent bag over there?” Jovian asked. I nodded and handed her the tent. “You know, I didn’t think you would be much of a fighter, no offense of course,” she said, smiling. “None taken,” I responded. “But, you proved yourself during our little scuffle at the prison, so I just wanted to say that I am proud of you Jack, you did good,” she said. I blushed a little. “Thanks Jovian, it means a lot,” I said. “No problem. Hey, would you mind helping me set this tent up?” she asked. “Of course,” I answered. After a little while, we finally got the tent setup. “Alright, trying to do that with one person was NOT working,” she laughed. I laughed along. “Yeah you’re right, it seems like you definitely need two people for that,” I said. I turned and saw Evergreen walking over. “Hey guys, what are you all up to?” he asked. “Just finished setting up this tent,” Jovian said. “Nice, who’s going to use it?” Evergreen asked. “You two can, it should have enough room for both of you and we already have all of the others’ tents setup,” she said. “And, I think I know you guys would prefer that,” she added, winking. We both blushed. “A-anyways, is there anything else we can do to help?” I asked. “Not right now, but I’d recommend going on a walk through the forest over there. Looks like it’d be nice and relaxing to take a stroll through, and the weather is perfect.” She pointed at the forest beyond our camp. “Oh yeah, I saw that as we were coming from orbit,” Evergreen said. “Well, whatever you two decide to do, have fun, I’ll see you later.” Jovian walked away to go monitor another part of the camp. Evergreen turned to me. “So, want to go on a walk?” he asked.

Jovian was right, it was the perfect day for a walk through the forest. The temperature was just right and the vibrant trees and vegetation were serene. It also being near sunset meant that the sky was a mess of orange and red, which amplified the serenity of the environment. After a little bit of walking, I looked over at Evergreen and saw his face. He seemed to be at absolute peace, like nothing in the world could disturb him. The longer I looked at him, the more nervous I felt. Quite early on, I had realized that I had been developing feelings for him. I don’t think I would’ve become the person I have today without him. I mean, he changed my life. If I had never gone out in search of Evergreen, then I would’ve never discovered all these experiences, and I would have never fallen in love with him. I remember the first time we cuddled, I felt so safe in his arms. Like the world was right again. It was bliss. Each time after that, whenever we had our little interactions, my feelings for him only grew. ‘I just hope he feels the same way’, I thought. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Evergreen asked. I snapped out of my thoughts and back into reality. “Huh?” I said. “This scenery. The trees, the vegetation…” he paused. “...you,” he said playfully, smiling. I blushed like a tomato. “Caught ya off guard? I noticed you were staring at me,” he smiled. ‘This is now or never Jack, if I don’t confess now then I’ll lose my chance, or worse, him,’ I thought. “O-oh yeah, I must’ve zoned out,” I answered as we continued walking. “What were you thinking about?” he questioned. “Same things as you really. Just how much I really like yo-I mean the s-scenery,” I stammered. Nice one. We reached a clearing and stopped.

Evergreen looked at me and grabbed my hands. I looked back at him. “You wanna repeat that?” he said. “W-Well I didn’t s-say that I l-like you-wait no I mean-mmph!” I was cut off by the obvious fact that Evergreen was now kissing me. After a second or two of shock, I melted into the kiss. ‘Guess he feels the same way,’ I thought. Instead of just bliss, it was now heaven, as if the angels themselves had come to empower this kiss. After another few moments, Evergreen pulled away and we stared at each other once more. “Guess that answers your question huh?” he chuckled. “I never asked a question, at least not out loud,” I stated. “Oh shut up silly, I bet you were asking the question of whether or not I returned the feelings for you. The answer is yes, I do.” He brought me in for a hug and I accepted. We stood there hugging for a good while, just taking in the moment. “You know, I was so worried that if I confessed that you wouldn’t return the feelings. I mean, you’re a protogen, and I’m a human. I didn’t know if you would return them but I’m so happy you did,” I exclaimed. “I felt the same way. When I first cuddled you, I knew that I would get feelings for you. I mean, how couldn’t I?” he said. I chuckled. “So, what now?” I asked. “Hmm, we should probably head back. It’s getting a bit dark,” he answered. “Good idea, hey guess what?” I said, smiling. “What?” he said, smiling as well. “I love you.” “I love you too.”

As we were walking back, we saw Jovian standing outside watching the stars start to appear. She turned and saw us. “Oh yeah, you two are back! And,” she looks down at our hands, which are currently interlocked, “it looks like you two finally confessed. About time!” she laughed. “Glad you two are finally official though, you’ll be great together,” she said. “Heh, thanks Jovian. What have you all been up to while we were gone?” I questioned. “Oh, just patrolling, making sure all the electronics and equipment are up to standards for the final assault on the GMC station, blah blah blah boring stuff really," she said. "Still important though, gotta show what happens when the GMC goes too far! Anyways, me and Jack are heading to bed. You should too soon," Evergreen stated. "You're right. Well, you two lovebirds have a good rest, you'll need it." We waved goodbye to Jovian and headed to our tent.

"Cuddle?" I asked. "Duh, get over here," Evergreen beckoning. I laid down next to him and snuggled up close. This time, it felt like our first cuddle all over again. "Goodnight Jack," he said, yawning. "Goodnight to you too, Evergreen," I said. As we laid there, I thought of the upcoming assault. 'Hopefully everything goes to plan,' I thought. Now I have something else to fight for besides my life, him.