The Pretty Prince and the Beast King
He sat in the engine room for hours, his hands pressed against the cold copper conduits, feeding the ship his own life force to keep the interior gardens blooming and the air scrubbers humming.
Kaelor, meanwhile, had become a creature of the deep. He spent half his time in the water, his mutated lungs pulling oxygen from the brine. He was the Ark’s eyes beneath the waves, scouting for the wreckage of the old world and ensuring the returning fish weren't choked by the lingering chemical silt.
They were lonely, yes. But for the first time in their lives, they weren't being hunted.
"Hey," Kaelor muttered, his voice dropping an octave. He stepped closer, his chest brushing against Aradaa’s shoul