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A dim starlight trickled through the skylight as we sped through hyperspace, drowning the ship’s comunal area in beautiful blue hues, glowing lines of white stars, and an ethereal energy. It was easy to forget how thrilling it was to experience space travel when it had become such a normality. Usually, it was hard to find time to appreciate little things like that. But for now, at least, the none stop fighting was over and everything was calmer than it’d been in a long while. And I stood, arms folded tightly against my chest, leaning against the cold walls of the vessel on the outskirts of the room. I peered up at the galaxies passing by, looked around at everyone aboard, how they huddled together engaging in quiet chatter, and I reveled in this rare, shared calmness. A lot of the Skrull families had gathered in this comunal space, a new found sense of peace seeming to radiate from them. My new crew members mingled amongst them, some playing and sparing with the children. The scene was refreshing and I felt a small smile tugging at my lips. I could see they were content; perhaps content in the knowledge that wherever in the universe we were going, this destination would bring them a sort of closure, that they, as a people, had yearned for. That they had the full assistance of Captain Marvel herself and her crew, and that their futures were safe in her hands.I knew that feeling too well, and I recognised it in them.My thoughts lingered there for a while, on my recent past, and I allowed myself a small sigh of contentment at how far we’d all come.The Captain caught sight of me from across the room and she gave me a small smile. Her eyes lit up; more in a literal sense than mine did, but it was a knowing look. A silent understanding that she knew what I was thinking, that what we had been through was going to be worth it.Her smile only seemed to grow brighter as did mine, us both glancing toward the Skrull children who were so joyful in their element. The weight of the world seemed to lift from her shoulders.A few moments later, she tucked her newly shortened locks behind her ears and strode to the door, making her way to the bridge. I stood straight and without hesitation I began following her lead - though she gestured for me to stay put with the passengers.At her wish, I returned to my slouched stance, watching her leave. Everyone’s eyes were on her.From what I knew, she hadn’t told anyone precisely where we were going and only that we were to find a home for the Skrulls; she’d said it was better to keep things secret. We all had full trust in her, of course. And even though in the scale of things I had only recently met her, I was glad to have been by her side in all this. A true leader, a fighter. Simply to know her was an honor in itself, but at points, I couldn’t help but bask in the tiniest hints of appreciation she’d show me and the rest of her team. It felt so… Empowering? I’d find myself craving it, wanting the people I admired, and the people who held authority, to show me appreciation and tell me I’d done a good job. Upon reflecting, I think I’d always enjoyed this sort of praise and acknowledgment, who doesn't? But I’d only noticed this pattern for myself upon meeting Carol Danvers. And not once since had I felt like that about someone else, until now... And this dynamic that I craved, wanting to help, give my all and receive high praise back from my superiors - wanting so badly to be noticed by the powerful yet brilliant people in this universe, was, I guess, one of the reasons why I’d taken a liking to the Skrull General.The room still remained a hive of activity after the Captain’s departure, yet still I spotted him with ease. A whole crowd mingled between us, but through the gaps I saw him there. He was knelt down in a quiet corner directly opposite me, his family by his side. I saw how content he was with them, his wife and child sharing his same jubilant expression. An immediate and overwhelming chill of shame inundated my being. I couldn’t allow myself to think the thoughts I had about him. Couldn’t and wouldn’t ever want to take anything away from Talos, or his family. Yet, a part of me I desperately wanted to know, wanted to discover, what it was like to have him look upon me the way in which he looked upon his wife, appreciate and admire me with such tenderness. On more than one occasion now I’d dreamt of him doing to me what Skrulls did to show affection; pulling me into a close embrace, pressing my forehead against his and just staying so still there, holding each other, our eyes closed and breathing heavy, hands softly caressing one anothers face. How I’d spent my time wondering whether his touch was warm, how the sensations might differ to a humans.For a long time I had seen the Skrulls as the enemies, it’s how I’d come across Captain Marvel and her companions. Uncovering that they were not the bad guys in this situation had shook all beliefs and closed mindedness around the Skrull out of my system, reminded me to trust my instincts in future. It reinforced the fact that in this entire universe full of so many beautiful and strange beings, there was no place for judgment and assumptions. Sometimes that was a hard fact to remember when following the orders of others, and when there was constant war.I had tried hard not to dwell on those deeper thoughts and feelings about Talos, tried to deny them. No matter how hard I tried though, these images, snippets of dreams, still loomed like dark clouds in my mind that I couldn’t shake and the truth remained there, boldly confronting me every time I was reminded of him. I wanted him.Talos stared directly toward me precisely in that same second I had looked toward him.As if he could sense what was stewing in my mind, he slowly rose from where he’d sat, arms around his child. I couldn’t refrain from watching as he stood, unable to stop my gaze from flickering across his body. I admired his stance, eyes lingering on how the armoured fabric coated his shoulders, accentuating them. How the whole attire clung to his taut frame and seemed to outline his biceps, muscles. And… How his waist was… Defined, thighs strong. Our gazes met; we both lingered there, the moment lasting perhaps too long.The black of his eyes shone in the sterile, flickering light of the ship. There was a shimmer of something deeper in his gaze. A shimmer of acknowledgement of our ‘moment’, perhaps? I didn’t know what exactly. But its intensity shook me to my core. I felt my breathing growing heavy. We were an entire room apart yet I felt my heart and my chest constricting, I felt like we were the only two aboard the entire ship. His gaze was so warm but sincere and he held me there, stiff and still, unable to move. The dim chatter around the place faded to background noise yet my ears wouldn't stop ringing for the sound of my own mind racing.I’d wanted him from afar since the moment I’d seen his true personality, his true colours. And I’d thought about how and why the Skrull General would even know or care of my existence. This moment demolished those thoughts.Then, Talos nodded his head, blinked softly and slowly. He pursed his lips and smiled gently. I frowned for a second, not processing fast enough that the gesture was truly directed at me. I felt as though I couldn’t control my reaction and without even fully realizing what I was doing I had instantly given him back a wide, bright smile. I brushed my fingertips through my short hair, ruffling it a little, and shrugged lightly.Immediately I wished I could disappear. I felt naked, seen. I’d wanted his attention but now that I had it I felt impulsive. I wished so desperately to confess my feelings, but I knew I couldn’t let that happen. Talos still didn’t look away. Infact he began walking toward me.I broke the gaze. Panicked by what might blurt out my mouth if Talos was within ear shot, I hurried to the door. I followed the corridor to the bridge, nervously glancing behind me. The passageways to and from the bridge of the ship were always the busiest; there were a few people dashing around the place but from what I could see, Talos hadn't followed me, and so I stopped. I physically relaxed, exhaled heavily and rested my hand against a closed door as I caught my breath. The fact that I had literally ran away from him made me wince. Unprompted, the door I’d rested my palm against swung open. My heart skipped a beat. I stuck my arms out expecting to fall face flat onto the metallic flooring but a pair of large hands grasped at me and instead my face fell flush against the soft grey fabric of a man’s hoodie. I stayed still, collected my self for a second. And I realised I could hear, feel, the man’s heart in his chest racing just as fast as my own. I don’t know why, but it made me feel at ease - even if I couldn’t see the man’s face from the position that I’d collapsed into his arms.“Thank you, but you can let me go now.” I finally broke the silence, trying to laugh it off and attempting to pull myself up.At that, a sort of… Growl… A hiss… Seemed to escape the mans mouth and I only felt his large hands tighten around me. He wasn’t going to let go and I felt my body tense up.“I SAID. LET GO.”I managed a glance upward and threw him a harsh scowl. To my surprise his face was familiar, I couldn’t place exactly were I’d seen him before, but I stopped trying to wriggle free. He was rather handsome and I was taken aback. Steely blue eyes stood out against his pale complexion, complementing the silvery tones of his hair.Within the next two seconds he’d all but dragged me up and whisked me into the pitch black room that the door had opened to reveal. His unanticipated strength shocked me into compliance. Thats when I knew. I could now see nothing past the blackness though.I tried to comprehend what was happening but for a moment I was immediately transported back years, the sounds and smells of the cramped space we’d entered reminding me of my homeworld. It was a utility closet. As a teen I had worked aboard many rooms on ships like this, my mother being a mechanic. Vents attached to the walls and ceiling spat and hissed, and the adjacent piping ejected hot steam intermittently. The low humming of machinery rumbled in the background and dim blinking lights of control buttons flashed through the dark. It was so dark. So dark and so warm. And I remembered I wasn’t alone, remembered the non existent space between us.Finally, he spoke, his grip on me loosening. “I am sorry, I didn’t know how else to- Well.”He stopped midway through his sentence. I trembled slightly at the sound of that accent. My suspicion was confirmed but still I could not bring myself to trust my ears. My mind had to be toying with me, wanting to hear Talos’ distinctive accented speech patterns in anyone who spoke to me. But through the darkness I saw the outline of his figure suddenly morphing, changing. The hands resting upon my forearms growing larger and more textured against my bare skin. I felt him reach for a switch and as the dim light flickered on, clear enough it was Talos standing before me. Skrull General Talos in his natural form.“I?… Why?…” I stuttered, unable to speak anything intelligible. I opened my mouth again, tried to say something, but Talos shushed me. He picked me up with such ease, pulled my legs up to wrap around his waist, and leaned in to me pressing his forehead against mine. I sighed and whimpered a little, my voice small and raw in the back of my throat. I felt all the weight in all the worlds drop from my being. All tenseness dissipate to nothingness and waves of serene pleasure crash through me. This was all I’d wanted. All I’d needed. But Talos moved closer, backed up so that I lay against the soft paneled walls. He pressed his whole body flush against mine, began running his hands along my arms and back. I’m sure I heard him make a soft sound akin to a purr and that was enough to make me cry out.He was giving me so much more without me even saying a word. All of this was so sporadic, unexpected and I couldn’t anticipate his moves. I felt ecstatic, cold shivers running down my spine at his every gentle touch. Letting my hands run free as his did, I traced his unique markings from his pointed ears down to his defined collar bone as he buried his face into my neck, tongue kissing and caressing me there. I felt his skin, his muscles beneath his hoodie. He was so warm, so overly warm. I moaned in the overwhelming sensations of it all. There were the answers to my questions. His touch, his skin; he was soft, wonderfully warm. I let out a small cry, a sudden jolt of pure need awakening in me as his pelvis ground down hard into mine. I couldn’t help but grind back, feeling his huge, hard bulge against me. Then it all hit me all at once and I felt the well of water in my eyes. Talos took note of my whimpers, looked up to me, hesitating from kissing further down my neck. His eyes flickered over mine, seeing something was off.“What is it?” He asked, wiping away the single tear that rolled down my cheek.“I.. Like this. I like it a lot, I think you know that… But I’m sorry I can’t. I wont. Not to your-”I stopped, unable to speak the words. Talos simply nodded, knowingly.“This is just a one off, you know.” He said softly, titling his head a little. He paused and sighed, perhaps not knowing quite how to continue. “It’s hard to explain but your way... It’s not our way. Its not the same for Skrulls, you know what I mean?”My breath caught a little, trying to comprehend what he was getting at. Maybe I could give in, let myself have this, if this is what he was going to allow to happen too? After a few seconds, I laughed meekly, “Well. No, I guess I don’t know… But I could be okay with this. Only if you are.”Talos smiled tenderly. I loved it so much, the way his cheekbones would be slightly more defined when he’d give that expression. I rubbed the side of his face lightly, and began toying with the zip of his hoodie. Talos reached for my fingers there, locked his hands around mine and it was comforting. He looked at me in a way he never had, perhaps with pity, as he started to speak once more, “I mean, I owe your people. I owe you, for everything you’ve done for my people. And-” He shrugged casually, moving closer to me again, “The least I can do is… compensate you.” His lisp was accentuated by his phrasing and his grin grew wider - a hint of hunger there in his stare, “Is that the right word?” I could to nothing but manage a nod. Then, Talos kissed me fully. I could taste the salt of my own few tears but I could taste the wet and the warmth of him. Feel him. And I felt so much in that moment it was overwhelming. He held me so tight. His shoulders and arms so big compared to mine that I was completely enraptured by him.It took a lot for me to pull back and break the kiss but I did. If this was going to be a one time thing then I was going to make the most of it, experience everything that I could, everything that I’d wanted.“Stop.” I wheezed, a little breathless still. “I… I want to know how you show affection. And I know the-” I paused, gesturing to the forehead thing, “-but I mean, on a deeper level.”Talos drew in a deep breath. His ears seemed to twitch and his eyes shone. I could see he was stuck in momentary shock, perhaps at that I’d cared what he wanted even amidst this unexpected shower of pure affection he’d smothered me with. That I’d still stopped to ask, what of him. Perhaps I shouldn’t have asked, but I didn’t regret it.His eyes explored my open, pining, expression searching for something. And I think he truly saw me then, truly saw that this must mean so much more to me than it did to him.“Well…” He began slowly.He seemed hesitant, so I reached for him and pulled him as close as possible. I took his hand away from mine to pull at his hoodie’s zip. “You don’t have to explain. Just show me.”Then Talos moved again, quickly, almost tore away his clothing. His body was just as muscular as it felt and I felt my breath hitch at the sight of him. Harshly, he tugged at mine, threw away my short jacket, and left me only in my undergarments. His hands trailed down my bare sides to my waist and he whispered to me, ordering that I turn around; his voice deep and gritty. I obeyed. He pressed his whole body against mine once more and I moaned into his caress. I reveled in the warmth of him against my bare skin but my heart raced in the anticipation. Talos leaned down and nipped at the back of my shoulders. It hurt a little, and I whined. His sharp teeth I could feel had left indents in my skin there- similar to a bite, but… It wasn’t a bite. He growled, and sucked at the mark he’d made, softly licked over it with his tongue all whilst grinding against me. Hard cock pressed into my back. I moaned helplessly, let him take all the control. Then, he turned me back to face him. A look of guilt fluttering over his expression. I rubbed the back of my neck. Felt a lump there that was sure to bruise. Talos glanced to the ground. But I pulled his chin back to look me in the eye, and I smiled. Brought his face back crashing down to mine, our wet mouths colliding again. It was rough, so hard. Lifting my legs up he forced me into the wall again but this time I gasped as he simultaneously entered me. His cock was so wet already, slick. So big and my jaw dropped. Talos could see I needed a minute to adjust. He gave me a wicked grin, pressing in further and watching me squirm at his size. He leaned in, his chest so heavy on top of mine. His hands ran up and down my thighs so harshly and I spread them further. I groan loudly as Talos begins to rut into me haphazardly. Pleasure inundated my being. I felt so alive. I felt unable to think or feel anything but him. Talos completely overwhelmed all of my senses. Thrusting in and out over and over, he almost exited me each time and filled me so completely like nothing I’d ever experienced. I felt a strange sensation inside me upon every thrust. He noticed my mild confusion and just grinned, and leaned down, smothering my face in rough wet kissed. I didn’t have the control to even wonder what that was about. And I couldn’t do anything other than focus on his thrusts as I moaned softly. I felt a thick liquid running down my inner thigh. It drew my attention to Talos’ hand that still gripped me there. I felt a jolt of pleasure then. Felt my body throbbing and aching for him. He could see me begging for him to drive into me harder and faster with each move. I gripped his thigh hard, bit down on my lip and felt my face flush scarlet as my whole body tensed. I was so close. I looked directly at me in that moment, kissed me so sensually and I couldn’t help but moan, “I love you.”“I know.” At that I could no longer contain myself and both of us came in sync, cum running over his hand as he removed his cock from inside me. He pulled away, put me down and we both stared at each-other in awe. We unapologetically explored each others body and the mess we’d made, lust so obviously pouring from our fixated gazes.I don’t know why I’d said what I’d said but some how it didn’t bother Talos. It bothered me greatly though, and I knew my face was red not only from the heat of everything but from the sickening embarrassment that coursed through my veins.We dressed in silence, and when Talos was turned the other way for a second, I brushed my fingers across my shoulder blade, feeling the mark that was there.“That er… Thing? You know?” Talos began awkwardly. “It’s an imprint. Skrulls can, well, have multiple imprints.” I stood so still, felt utter shock flow though me. I couldn’t bring myself to speak.“That’s maybe why 'that' happened.” He looked away, but I knew what he was referring to. “It means I can sense you’re emotions, and we're sort of in sync, among other things… And I guess if I’m telling you all this I should tell you that, yes- ” Suddenly his voice grew lower and quieter, and he seemed to cower away. “What you felt, you know? That was me shapeshifting.”I felt my jaw hang open, but at the same time couldn’t hold back a huge smile, “Excuse me?”The tenseness of the conversation seemed to immediately dissipate, replaced by lightness. We both gave a small laugh. “Oh don’t look at me like that-” Talos zipped up his hoodie, “It's… Just a Skrull thing alright- Helps me feel things better, especially with partners of a different species.” He trailed off toward the end, a small smile on his face but eyes toward the floor, like he dare not look at me after speaking those words.“Partners? I’m not the first human, then?” Talos just shrugged casually, raised his brow.He opened the heavy door with ease, let me exit first, and whispered in my ear from behind, “I’ll see you when we get there.” ---The planet was empty, barren, and a mercury grey. Rocks littered the surface and sorts of tumble weeds rolled across sun dried earth in the slight breeze. Monstrous mountains graced the horizon and a warm, strange, white sun peaked over from behind them. The temperature was mild and pleasing to the skin. It was beautiful, vast, it’d never seen anything quite like it in my life.I looked across at Talos who’d wondered over to me as everyone was exploring the place. Everyone seemed settled and my crew and Captain Marvel were already aboard the ship, waiting for me and a few others to return.Our smiles faded, there was a moment of stillness and a tense silence. This was it.“That-” He gestured to my bite. “That’s for life you know… So, if you ever come back one day-”He stopped himself, but I wish he had continued. Instead, he nodded his head toward me, just as he had done on the ship, a thank you gesture. I sighed. Looked over to the mountains and watched the sun setting. Now, I’d have to go about my life, galaxies away, trying to forget about… Something as strong as an imprint. I didn’t know how I was going to do that, but I was going to have to learn.I gazed back at him softly. Unable to bring my voice to anything other than a small, sad whisper.“I know.” I said simply. “I know.”