Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 66: Heartache

"Perseus Aphelion," a woman's voice called as she entered the office doors, "I'd like a word with you."

The man glanced up from his computer. "I'd be flattered by a visit from the President herself if it weren't for the fact she disregarded basic respect by addressing me as my first name."

"Careful with the attitude or you'll find yourself behind bars." President Boucher's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure you've heard everything about the recent alien discoveries?"

"Of course. Hasn't everyone by now? It's fascinating. You know that we've long been on the search for aliens here at the Newcrest Aeronautics and Space Administration. I look forward to our future pursuits thanks to this information. I'm especially interested in this... alien anti-aging serum that the new CEO of FutureSim labs has made available. Of course, you know all about that." Perseus said. "Does it really permanently reverse and halt the aging process as he claims, President Boucher? I'd love to hear your review of it." 

President Boucher crossed her arms. "Oh, so the press is all over that? It doesn't surprise me. Yes, I've taken the anti-aging serum and I haven't felt this youthful in years. Imagine what other wonders could await humanity. Aliens possess such profound knowledge... we desperately need to locate their planet. Tell me, do you know the location of Sixam?"

"If my company knew that, do you think we would be holding it as secret? It would be the biggest advance of astronomical knowledge in history." Perseus raised an eyebrow. "We are searching for it, of course, but there is no known location of any alien planet."

"Well... I'm here to ask you to find it," she said. "And when you do... I want to be the first one to know."

He tensed up. "And what do you plan to do with this information?"

Presidential Boucher smirked and turned to walk out of his office.

"That is none of your concern," she replied as the doors began to swing closed behind her.

"That's what you think," Perseus murmured as his true form revealed itself behind her back.

---

Orion stared at the notifications on his phone.

12 new text messages.

'My group text with Emiko and Uranus,' he thought. It had been one week since he responded, and one week since... 

Another text notification appeared on the screen.

Emiko: Orion, please respond. We're worried sick about you!

Orion frowned and opened the messages. As much as he felt like isolating himself away from everyone, he couldn't let them worry anymore.

Orion: Hey, guys. Sorry I didn't respond. I'm okay.

The first lie sent and more were to follow.

Emiko: Hey! Why have you been so quiet?

Uranus: We thought you were dead or something! 

Orion: I've just been... really busy.

Another lie. Orion sighed as he continued to pretend everything was okay. He wanted to tell them the truth, but he couldn't tell anyone that. It wouldn't change anything, it would only make his friends miserable by worrying more. He struggled to find the words to type.

Orion: I found out that Tiffany's pregnant.

Orion: So we're both trying really hard to make our relationship work out. That's why I've been so busy. We've been spending time together all week and planning... well, you know, baby stuff. 

Emiko: You're going to be a father!? Congratulations! How are things going with you and Tiffany, then?

Orion: Great. Things couldn't be better.

A tear rolled down his cheek. He wished that were true...

Uranus: Oh.

Uranus: Congratulations, Orion. I'm happy for you...

Orion wasn't the only one lying. 

Uranus stared at his phone screen in a mixture of disbelief and heartache. 'Orion and Tiffany are working things out and starting a family? Since when did things ever work so well for them? It isn't fair... I never even had a chance...'

Emiko: I can't wait to meet the baby! 

Uranus: Me neither. 

Orion: Thanks, guys. You're the best friends I could ask for. 

Orion: Anyway, I have some stuff to do, so I'd better get going. I'll talk to you later.

Emiko: It's okay, I have a lesson with Sage Silversweater in an hour anyway. I should get ready for that. 

Uranus: Yeah, talk to you later.

Uranus put his phone down with a frustrated sigh. Deep down, he'd always known it wasn't meant to be. But maybe a selfish part of him had always hoped that Orion would leave her; she wasn't good enough for him anyway. He fought the tears when they came, but they won the battle. The reality wasn't one he wanted to face, but now he had to: Orion would never feel the same way that he did.

And it hurt more than he ever imagined it could.

---

Orion placed his phone on the nightstand as he sat up, slowly slipping into the chaos of his mind. The only source of light was the dimly lit lamp by the bed, the room mostly dark, just as it always was when he spent hours on end in loneliness. His stare was blankly fixed on the floor underneath his feet, and at first he didn't respond when he heard a knock on the door. There was another firm knock, and he flinched, worrying that it was Tiffany.

"Orion? It's me, Amelia," a voice called more softly than usual. "Can I come in?"

Orion sighed. "Yeah..."

He looked up and forced a smile as the door swung open, but he was met with a frown. "You don't have to put on a smile for me."

"What do you mean?" Orion asked, but it faded as Amelia walked closer. He brought his knees to his chest and averted his gaze as she gently sat on the bed beside of him.

"Orion," she began, "I know something's wrong..." 

"What?" He couldn't look at her. "N-No, nothing's wrong at all."

Amelia sighed. "You've been staying up here all by yourself lately. You seem down... I know maybe it's hard to talk about it, but you can trust me. I want to help you."

'You can't help me,' Orion thought. 'No one can.'

"It's okay to need help sometimes. We all have our moments of weakness." Amelia tried to smile at him, though the atmosphere was all but cheerful. "I know I do."

"No, you're strong," Orion said. "Not weak..."

"You know what? You're right." Amelia nodded. "Sometimes what people see as weakness is just strength in another form. You're strong, too, Orion. But... sometimes a helping hand doesn't hurt, that's all I'm saying."

"I'm not strong." Orion quickly blinked back tears that tried to surface. "And I know I've been kind of isolating myself but... I'm fine, Amelia, I promise..."

She frowned. "Orion..."

"I'm just a little overwhelmed. Work starts tomorrow and I'm nervous about that, and I'm nervous about the baby and becoming a parent, a-and..." He sighed. "I just have a lot to deal with at once right now. But... maybe you're right that I need support." Orion managed a more genuine smile. "Thank you for being here for me."

Seeming satisfied with his answer, as well as relieved, Amelia returned the smile. "Of course. I'm always here if you need me, and so are Onyx and Tiffany, okay?" 

Orion tried his hardest not to let his smile fade away. "Yeah... I know. Thanks for coming to check on me. You were working on a painting commission, right?" 

"Yeah," she replied. "I should get back to work. I don't have anything else to do anyway. Tiffany's out somewhere and Onyx is writing on another one of his novels. I hope it's a bestseller." 

"Me too," Orion nodded. "Have fun with your painting, I bet it will turn out great."

"Alright... I'll check in on you later, okay? Try not to worry yourself so much."  Amelia headed for the door, and as soon as it closed, Orion fell back onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

He rolled onto his side as he felt a familiar sensation of tiny feet pouncing onto the mattress and held an arm out to Sophie when she greeted him with purrs. He fell asleep to the sound of them, snuggled closely to her side.

---

Nothing could have prepared Orion for what he saw when he walked into his boss's office on his first day of work.

"So we meet again, Orion," Perseus smiled. "Lots of people applied for your position here. You're lucky I found you to be the best."

Orion was speechless. It was clearly the same man from the job interviews, except... "Y-You're a...?"

"Surprised? What else did you expect from a space research center?" Perseus laughed lightly. "Yes, I'm an alien. I often get reactions like this... of course, this is because they're quite shocked. None of my employees are aliens... until now." 

"...until now?" Orion raised an eyebrow.

"Is there even a point in disguising yourself further?" Perseus asked. "You have one of the most common names on Sixam, and I can't help getting an alien vibe from you. It's one of the reasons why I hired you."

Orion sighed as his disguise faded. "Seems like everyone that's an alien always figures me out before I figure them out."

Perseus nodded. "Well, you're quite readable. I want you to know... this is a safe place to be out of disguise form. Although your coworkers are all human, like you, they have all have signed a detailed non-disclosure agreement. What happens in this building stays in this building. And they're all fascinated with aliens anyway. I would have erased their memories and fired them if they weren't when they found out about me."

The man sat on the edge of his desk, and Orion wrapped his arms around himself insecurely. "Are you... sure that's a good idea?"

"Why don't you clock in and find out for yourself?"

---

Orion was cautious as he entered the mission control center. 'I think this is where I'm supposed to be. I have to learn to operate the control panels before I do anything else,' he thought. Two men looked up from their control panels and froze in shock for what felt like forever before scrambling to their feet and racing over to him.

"So you're our new co-worker?" The brunette asked excitedly. "Wow, I didn't expect you to be an alien! I know the boss is, but we've never gotten to actually work alongside one..."

"Y-Yeah," Orion stammered with a shy smile. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Orion."

"Orion," the brunette smiled. "Nice to meet you too. I'm Ross, and this is Thomas, but he goes by Tom for short."

"Hello, nice to meet you," Tom said.

Orion nodded. "So, um... my first task here will be to learn to operate the mission controllers, right?"

"Yeah. I'll show you to your station and walk you through basic controls," said Ross.

Orion followed him and sat at the control panel, feeling a surge of excitement as he looked at all of the high-tech equipment. This was the job he'd spent four years in college for, and for the first time in his life, he was proud of the thought he'd amounted to something.

---

"So, what do you think of the realm of magic so far?" Emiko asked Uranus as they approached Magic HQ.

Uranus wasn't his usual cheerful self. "It's... great. Really cool."

"I told you coming here would get your mind off of... well, you know," Emiko paused. "Just wait until you see inside. I can't wait to show you the potion room!"

"I guess, but I can't help thinking... it would have been better if Orion was here with us."

"...You're right," she replied quietly. "It won't be the same anymore with him being too busy with his family to spend time with us."

As they entered Magic HQ and made their way to the potion room, Uranus sighed heavily. "I didn't want him to have a family. Tiffany is awful, and regardless of my feelings, I just think he's better off without her."

"But admit it... you're mostly upset because you have feelings for him," Emiko frowned. "I get that. But there are lots of other nice guys out there that could be great for you, Uranus. I'm not saying I have much faith in their relationship, but... if Orion's finally finding happiness with Tiffany and his new family, he deserves it."

Uranus nodded. "So... what you're telling me is... I should try to let go of my feelings and find someone that's actually... uh, single."

"I mean, I'm certainly no love expert but I guess that would be a good start," Emiko said. 'Why does everyone always want to talk about their relationships and ask advice from me in the first place?'

Uranus was about to respond when he noticed they weren't alone in the room. His mouth fell agape and a blush spread across his cheeks at the sight in front of him. "Wow... who's that?" he whispered.

Emiko smiled. "Oh, that's a member of The Arcane, judging by the uniform. I didn't expect anyone to be here, but they're currently establishing a new HQ here, so--" She cut herself off when she noticed his expression. "...Uh... Uranus?"

The alien woman looked over her shoulder, noticing the sound of their whispers.

"She's... wow." Uranus said, averting his gaze from her quickly. "I... uh... I'll be right back, I'm gonna go talk to her... and see if she's single, just in case..."

"Wait," Emiko furrowed her eyebrows. "I thought you were into guys."

"I am," Uranus grinned. "But not exclusively."

'Oh boy,' she thought as he approached the woman. 'This can't end well...'

He put on his best flirtatious smirk. "Hey there. What's your name?"

"Well, it definitely isn't wow," the woman replied. "I'm Amalthea."

"That's... wow," Uranus said. "I'm Uranus Umbriel, and-- wait, you heard the wow thing!?"

"...I could hear everything you were saying," Amalthea laughed. 'He's adorable. In a weird and quirky way.'

"Oh, uh..." He put his arms behind his head and smiled nervously. "Ignore that. Kinda an off day for me. I'm way smoother normally, but..."

As the two of them continued their banter, Emiko could only facepalm and perhaps feel a bit of secondhand embarrassment. 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life...'