MOONBOUND: My Alien Boyfriend

CHAPTER 5

One week had passed since Willow first set foot on this gray planet.

Rebuilding their new civilization was still a long way from perfect, but at least life in the underground cave felt a lot more human now.

Thanks to their grueling teamwork, Willow had successfully modified the ancient water generator in the eastern sector using emergency carbon filters.

For the first time, a stream of clear, clean water flowed through makeshift pipes into their small settlement.

That night, under the dim glow of bioluminescent lights mounted on the cave walls, Willow sat exhaustedly near a soil container housing the very first green seedling to sprout from the planet’s acidic soil.

“You pushed yourself too hard today,” a familiar deep voice broke the silence.

Mason walked over, holding a cup of warm clean water and handing it to Willow. His combat armor was gone, replaced by casual, form-fitting clothes, yet the intensity in his gaze as he looked at her remained just as strong as their first night in the holding cell.

Willow smiled faintly, taking the cup. “I just wanted to make sure this seedling doesn’t die by tomorrow morning, Mason. This is the first proof that human science can actually work on your planet.”

“And you proved it. You did the impossible for our race,” Mason replied softly.

He sat down beside her, the distance between them so close that Willow could feel the warmth of his body radiating against her skin, triggering the exact same racing heartbeat she had felt when they kissed back in that cell.

“Ahem!”

A deliberate, tiny throat-clearing sound made both of them instinctively pull back a little.

Near a stone pillar of the cave, Lira stood clutching her old rag doll. Her round eyes darted between Willow and her brother with an unmistakable, mischievous glint.

“Lira? Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Mason asked, trying to keep his voice commanding and brotherly.

Lira walked closer with slow steps, then sat in front of them, resting her chin in her hands. “I woke up because I heard you two talking. You know... you two are weird.”

“Weird how, Lira?” Willow asked with a soft chuckle, amused by the little girl’s antics.

Lira grinned widely, pointing at Willow and then at Mason. “You are not the same creatures, but you look good together. Mother once said that if two people keep watching plants grow together, they are falling in love. Are you going to make Willow your partner, brother?”

Willow’s cheeks instantly flushed a bright crimson at the innocent teasing. She suddenly found the water cup in her hands extremely fascinating, not daring to look at Mason.

Meanwhile, Mason froze for a second, his ears turning slightly red before he let out a clumsy cough and playfully ruffled Lira’s hair.

“Go to sleep, Lira. Or I won’t let you come see the water generator in the eastern sector tomorrow,” Mason threatened gently, though the corner of his lips twitched, fighting back a smile.

Lira playfully stuck her tongue out and ran back to the sleeping quarters of the cave, giggling.

Her departure left a sudden silence that felt incredibly quiet, warm, and charged with an unspoken romantic tension between Willow and Mason under the night sky of their new world.

The awkward silence broke when Willow noticed a small tear in Mason’s thin shirt, revealing a cut oozing bright sapphire-blue blood.

Worried, she quickly plucked a broad leaf from a medicinal plant growing in the damp rock crevices right beside them, crushed it to release its warm sap, and gently pressed it directly onto his broad chest, ignoring how intimately close they were.

“Ow look, Mason, you’re bleeding. Wait... your blood color is blue.” Willow asked, her breath catching as her fingers trembled slightly against his warm skin.

“It’s just a small scratch from our fight on the mothership yesterday, there is no need to worry,” Mason replied softly, his eyes locked onto her worried face.

“A scratch? It’s still wet and bleeding! Stay still, don’t move,” Willow scolded, pressing the medicinal leaf firmer against his chest.

“That plant... how do you know it works?” Mason whispered, catching his breath as a cool, soothing sensation began to spread from the wound.

“I analyzed a sample of it yesterday. This leaf is rich in natural antibacterial compounds that are perfect for stabilizing your dry skin cells,” Willow explained without looking up, focused on wiping the remaining blue blood away.

Mason murmured, his voice suddenly softening, causing Willow’s hand to freeze instantly.

“Ah! That stings...” Mason gasped, flinching slightly under her touch. But as the cooling sap started to work, his gaze softened. “But your touch... it’s far more soothing than any of our advanced medical tech, Willow.”

“Or maybe... I just wanted an excuse to keep you this close to me.”

“And about what Lira said earlier... I don’t think she was wrong at all.”

”S-say that again, and I’ll make sure to press down on your wound a lot harder,” Willow threatened softly, though the slight tremble in her voice betrayed her completely.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion suddenly rocked the entire underground cave. The violent tremor was so powerful that it sent several stalactites crashing down from the ceiling, shattering into pieces across the floor.

The bioluminescent lights flickered frantically before dying out completely, leaving only the eerie red glow of the emergency alarm system as it began to wail sharply.

Mason moved like lightning. Ignoring the stinging pain in his chest, he pulled Willow tightly into his embrace, shielding her from the falling debris, while his left hand instantly grabbed the looted plasma rifle nearby.

“Lira! Dad! Mom!” Mason shouted over the roaring thunder of the collapse.

From the sleeping quarters, Kaelen and Vanya rushed out, shielding a terrified, crying Lira.

“Mason! The water generator in the eastern sector... it blew up!” Kaelen gasped, out of breath. “The system detected a foreign intrusion right before detonation!”

Before Mason could even respond, the emergency holographic screen of Willow’s scanner, which was lying on the ground, automatically flared to life, capturing live visuals from outside the cave and displaying several fast-moving red silhouettes.

“Mason...” Willow whispered, her face turning pale as she stared at the screen. “This wasn’t an earthquake or a technical malfunction. The sensors are picking up massive biological heat signatures outside. Something... or someone... just fired on our facility.”

From the far end of the cave tunnel, the heavy, rhythmic thuds of metallic armored boots began to echo, accompanied by the distinct, chilling sound of heavy weapons being c****d. The alien hunters from the mothership had successfully tracked their escape coordinates.

In the midst of the panic, a jet-black local bird suddenly flew through the cave’s ventilation shaft and dropped a thick piece of paper right at Mason’s feet before darting away.

Mason picked up the paper, which had somehow been dropped from the upper atmosphere by the starfleet. With hands trembling in suppressed rage, he read the plasma-powered lines glowing across the surface, an open threat written like a cold interrogation for all the planet’s inhabitants.

“Leave this planet within twenty-four hours,” Mason read the contents of the letter, his deep voice shaking.

“This is no longer your home. It is now seized property of the central military sector. Anyone still setting foot on this soil tomorrow will be incinerated along with the debris of this planet.”

“They are evicting us? But we have nowhere else to go!” Vanya cried out, her eyes wide with panic.

Willow clenched her fists, staring intently at Mason. “We just got the first seedling to grow, Mason. I am not going to let them take this planet away from us.”