Even after getting into bed for the night, they both were still thinking on the earlier conversation. Aura moved closer, wrapping herself around him, though his eyes remained on the door.

“It’s locked” she assured.

“Like the door to the bunker was?” Adan returned, which just caused a sigh from her.

“After everything that you said throughout the day, I’m still not clear on whether you wanna fight him or fuck him.”

Adan almost smirked at her wording, but managed to fight the urge. “I just want him to understand that the things he did; they’re not acceptable human behavior.”

“He’s not human” Aura returned softly.

“No kidding.”

She sighed softly as she hugged him tightly. “And I think he does understand, now. We’ve made it pretty clear.”

“Hopefully” Adan mumbled, not sounding entirely convinced just yet.

“Oh no. Now am I gonna have to be the one to get you so distracted you forget what you’re upset about?” she teased as she began spreading kisses over his chest with a small grin on her lips.

“That’s not playing fair” Adan replied as he felt her inching his pants down from his hips. Though he made no move to stop her either.

“Now you know how it feels” she teased as she finished her task and began moving her kisses downward, eventually causing another pleasurable gasp from him as she slid him into her mouth, causing him to quickly harden in response to her attentions.

“Should we invite him to watch?” he managed hoarsely, between slight moans of pleasure.

She momentarily stopped to look up at him, “you really wanna make me laugh right now? Talk about living dangerously.”

He let out a small chuckle. “I guess the risk is worth the reward” he managed. Aura just shook her head up at him before going back to her previous activity, making him forget anything else he may have thought of saying right then as well.

When Aura woke before Adan, she groggily pushed her body up off the bed and moved to retrieve the bathrobe she had left draped over a nearby chair after her last shower. She smiled back at where he still lay naked and asleep atop the bed and allowed herself an extra moment to just admire how beautiful he was again before making her way from the bedroom.

With a yawn, she turned and headed for the bathroom, only to be stopped in her tracks. Ilian had already made his way there even though it was barely past six. And when she appeared in the doorway, he was just standing there, in front of the mirror, studying his own reflection curiously. And he also had apparently removed all of his clothing before doing so. And that was why Aura found herself forgetting how to breathe once again.

“Sorry, did you need this room?” he asked with complete innocence, turning to face her as he spoke.

“Uh...” she stammered, not even able to pretend not to be moving her eyes over his body.

His skin was the same pleasantly tanned mix between Caucasian and Native American, and his body even more muscular and toned than Adan’s already perfect physique And there were other things she couldn’t help noting too, proving that he really did model his entire appearance after the apparently adult version of Adan’s brother. The similarities between them were remarkable, which she was now painfully, or pleasantly, aware of. She couldn’t decide which. And his skill at making himself look perfectly like a human male was flawless in every way, it seemed.

“Aura?” he asked as she continued to just stare at him, unable to get her voice to work as much as she wanted it to. And she apparently was also finding herself unable to turn away from him either.

“What are you doing” she finally managed, “just standing there like, well, like that?” she asked, every word a struggle for her to form, her eyes still moving over him of their own accord.

“I was just trying to make sense of all the things you told me yesterday. Understand it all better” he answered her conversationally, though still looked puzzled as to why she seemed so obviously flustered right then.

“Uh huh” she stated with the same distraction in her voice and her eyes.

“You know, trying to figure out what you said about which parts you were even---”

“Yeah, got it” she interrupted, finally making herself turn away through sheer force of will alone.

“Sorry, this body is new to me. I don’t understand it the way you do” he added.

“Yeah, I get it. It’s gotta be pretty fucking weird for you too, right?” she conceded, still making herself keep her back to him as she stood in the doorway. “But can you please put your clothes on now, Ilian?” she made herself say, not believing she was even able to make that request as much as she really, really didn’t want him to put his clothes on at all. Though she immediately forced that thought down as best she could.

Ilian gave her a puzzled look, but moved to retrieve the pants that had been discarded on the floor earlier. “That’s another thing I don’t understand.”

“What’s that?” she asked, still not allowing herself to turn back just yet.

“Why you say things you don’t really mean. And do the opposite of the things you really want. It’s very strange” he said as he zipped and snapped the pants after replacing them as she had requested.

“I thought you couldn’t read thoughts, Ilian. Only memories” she had to ask, finally daring to cast a sideways glance back at him.

“That is true. But your body language is obvious. You and Adan’s both. You both enjoy this appearance and are actually... aroused? By it? Then you act as though you’re not. It’s all very strange.”

“Body language?” she scoffed to try and cover the redness burning her cheeks just then.

“Your heart races, your breath falters, you perspire, there’s a flood of hormones...”

“OK, you can stop now” she interrupted.

“See. That’s what I mean” Ilian stated plainly. He then added, “and now will you pretend you want me to replace the shirt too?”

“Yes please. And then find another room to be in right now, will you?” she bit out.

“So strange” he shook his head as he pulled on his shirt then gave her one more puzzled look before leaving the room, as her voice had requested, even though her body clearly wanted the complete opposite.

A moment later, she stormed back into the bedroom with a slam of the door, which caused Adan to easily startle awake. “What is it?” he asked groggily as he pushed himself up.

“He’s impossible!”

“Huh?” Adan asked with confusion, wiping sleep and hair from his eyes.

“And pull the sheet up! It’s hard enough to talk to you when you’re not naked. You and him both” she muttered.

“Wait, what now?” that one caught him as he warily pulled the sheet up over his hips, giving her the same puzzled look Ilian had just been blessing her with moments before.

“Our little alien friend was in the bathroom just now. Naked even!”

“Um, OK?” Adan responded, trying not to smile at the vision her words produced, and how flustered she so obviously was.

“Shut up!”

“I didn’t say anything,..” he shook his head.

“God, you’re both impossible!” she added in frustration.

“I sense I’m missing some part of this conversation” Adan replied thoughtfully, still watching her with mild amusement.

“He had the nerve to ask me why I wanted him to get dressed since I so obviously enjoyed seeing him... not dressed! The nerve!”

“And how exactly did he come to the rather obvious conclusion that you enjoyed seeing him naked?”

“That’s just it! Body language! That was what he said! Can you believe that?” she continued in the same agitated manner.

“Well, kind of” Adan shook his head.

“Shut up!” she growled at him in frustration once more.

“OK, so you’re angry that your body language let him know that you’re attracted to him?” Adan summarized slowly.

“Yes! Aren’t you paying attention?”

Adan bit back a chuckle. “Seems like you should be mad at your body’s treacherous machinations then, really” he shrugged.

“Impossible! Both of you!” she repeated angrily as she left the room again.

Adan chuckled and shook his head after her. “That script is just writing itself” he mumbled with further amusement.

When Adan joined Ilian in the dining room for breakfast after getting dressed, Aura was still in the shower. Ilian looked up upon Adan’s arrival.

“Are you inexplicably angry with me now too?” Ilian asked in greeting.

Adan just shook his head and took a seat, though he managed a smile. “You’re right. Humans don’t make any fucking sense. Especially when they’re attracted to someone. You just kind of get used to all the mixed signals, and try to work around them until you and the other person can come to a mutually pleasant agreement, sooner or later. Usually later” Adan explained as he started on his breakfast.

“That all sounds very confusing, and exhausting” Ilian replied.

“Oh believe me, it is” Adan agreed without pause.

“Then why do you keep trying to be with one another, even though it’s that hard?”

Adan looked down a moment as he thought on the question. “I guess, because it’s all worth it in the end.”