Page 19 of Snowed in: With the Alien Tentacle Monster

Somewhere out there was a damaged spaceship. And Valen.

Logan's throat tightened. God, what a mess. He'd made this cabin his sanctuary, a place to hide from the world and its messy emotions. From people who could hurt him, or worse, people he could hurt. Five years of carefully constructed solitude, of Christmas traditions built around absence rather than presence.

And then Valen had crashed into his life, all tentacles and good intentions and absolute disregard for human customs. Had claimed him, tried to take care of him… even if he did it all wrong.

The ruined meal didn't matter. Not really. Logan had just needed an excuse to do what he always did: pushed away anyone who tried to get close.

Only this time, thanks to their bond, he could actually feel the consequences of that pushing.

And now Valen sat alone by his ship, probably wondering what the hell he'd done wrong, unable to understand why a simple meal had caused such pain.

Logan leaned his forehead against the cold glass. He should go after him. Should at least explain. But the words stuck in his throat even in imagination. How did you explain years of grief? Of deliberate isolation? Of Christmas dinners you couldn't eat because they tasted like memories?

The bond pulled at him again, stronger this time. Or maybe he was just finally letting himself feel it.

"Damn it." He pushed away from the window. The coat rack by the door held his heavy winter jacket. He put it on and then grabbed his boots.

He didn't let himself think too hard about what he was doing. If he thought about it, he'd talk himself out of it. He would convince himself that Valen was fine, that the cold really didn't affect him.

The blast of arctic air as he opened the door stole his breath. The storm had gotten worse, wind driving the snow nearly sideways. Logan pulled his collar up higher and stepped out onto the porch.

That tugging sensation in his chest, led him toward the woods where he'd first found Valen's ship. He followed it, pushing through snow that was already knee-deep in places. The wind cut through his jacket like it was made of paper.

He'd gone maybe fifty yards when he saw a familiar blue-purple glow through the curtain of snow. Before he could even call out, the light surged toward him, cutting through the storm like a comet.

"You shouldn't be out here!" Valen's voice came from everywhere at once, his energy form swirling around Logan in agitation. "Your body temperature is dropping!"

"I'm fine," Logan managed through chattering teeth. He hadn't realized how cold he'd gotten until Valen mentioned it. "I needed to?—"

"You need to go back inside." Valen's light pulsed with concern, casting strange shadows across the snow. "Whatever you came to say can wait."

"No." Logan wrapped his arms around himself, as much to keep Valen from trying to herd him back to the cabin as for warmth. "It can't wait. I need to apologize."

Valen's swirling slowed, his light dimming slightly. Even in this form, Logan could feel his uncertainty through their bond.

"I should have told you earlier. Should have explained instead of just..." Logan's teeth were chattering too hard to continue. The cold had worked its way into his bones, making everything feel distant and sluggish.

The light around him brightened suddenly, and warmth began seeping into his clothes, his skin. Valen's energy form pressed closer, creating a barrier between Logan and the storm.

"Tell me inside," Valen said, his voice gentler now. "Please. Let me get you warm first."

Logan wanted to argue, to get the words out now while he had the courage, but his body was already leaning into Valen's warmth. He managed a small nod.

Valen's light wrapped around him more firmly, guiding him back toward the cabin. Through their bond, Logan felt the alien's concern warring with lingering hurt, and underneath it all, a fierce protectiveness that made his throat tight.

When they entered the cabin, Valen immediately shifted back to his corporeal form, moving swiftly to the fireplace. His tentacles worked efficiently, arranging logs and stoking the dying embers back to life. Logan stood in the entryway, his fingers too numb to work the zipper of his jacket.

"Let me," Valen said, coming to help him. His touch was careful, hesitant, so different from his usual confidence. Through their bond, Logan felt him struggling with the urge to do more, to wrap Logan up completely in his warmth.

But he was respecting boundaries now. Trying to.

Logan let out a shaky breath, watching as flames began to catch on the fresh logs. "The Christmas dinner," he started, then stopped. How could he explain?

Valen's tentacles stilled on the zipper of Logan's coat.

"Jeff's mom sends them," he finally managed. "Every year since... since he died. She doesn't want me to be alone on Christmas. To not have a proper holiday meal." He swallowed hard. "I never told her I can't eat them. That they sit in the freezer until spring because even looking at them hurts too much."

Valen's expression showed understanding. "And I ruined this one."

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