[Survey] A Letter to Kiyo

It was a sunny day, a little chilly but Verox certainly didn’t mind, he was a tundra Xero after all.

Kiyo was busy on a small mission he had been tasked with, traveling to a nearby planet for some samples. Verox was a little peeved he hadn’t been asked to go alongside Kiyo, especially since the crew was assigned to his favorite ship, ARC-15693, but he understood after the last stunt he pulled… In any case, he was happy to have the day off.

He trekked through the vast cityscape of the Harbor, it was rare that he got to explore during the day. A few passersby greeted him with a warm smile and he returned them with a soft grin. It felt odd to not be conversating with someone as he walked, and Verox felt abundantly aware of his surroundings. It felt a little too quiet, despite the city being a bustling place of life during the day and he couldn’t quite place what was on his mind. At one point he stumbled on a rock and turned to find Kiyo behind him, laughing as he always did before asking if he was okay.
Kiyo, however, wasn’t there, and instead an empty sidewalk faced him. Verox shook his head a little, slightly disgruntled, and continued on. When Verox had bought two Ru Berry candies from a kind vender instead of one, realization hit and he let out a melancholy sigh. Verox had always been so busy when he and Kiyo were friends and seldom found free time to spend together. But, now that the two were a couple, it seemed that almost every moment Kiyo was at Verox’s side and vice versa. If the two weren’t together, they’d find each other.

  A slight ping of regret and guilt mixed with other swirling emotions surged through him as he looked out upon the city. He was alone, with nothing to do, something he was rarely, if ever, faced with. Verox reached into his pouch and found his device. He noticed a missed text from Kiyo and quickly swiped to open it. Kiyo stood on a grey-blue, rocky surface holding a small vial of shimmering black goop. Through his helmet, the corners of his mouth could barely be seen, but Verox knew how goofy his grin must be under that visor. Verox smiled and laughed a little, recognizing what the vial held instantly– Of course it was Astatine. He held down on the picture and clicked “Save to camera roll”.

“Call Kiyo.” The device recognized Verox’s voice, and the command, letting out a beep to know it was received. Three rings later, Kiyo was on the line.

“Hey V!” Kiyo chirped through the device. Verox grinned at the sound of his voice. “What’s up? I can’t talk for long, we’re off to get more samples.”

“It must be such an exciting mission without me.” Verox’s sarcasm never failed.

“You know, it’s really not as fun as getting into a laser fight with a rouge alien and nearly crashing one of ARC’s precious ships. I did find some Astatine though.” Kiyo scoffed.

“Ha. I saw. When will you be back?” 

“I’m… Not sure actually. Head of Research is asking for a few more samples before we head out. Does someone miss me?” Kiyo laughed a little and Verox could picture the look on his face.

“Yes, I do actually. Please let Head of Research know I’d like my boyfriend back before nine.”

“I’ll be sure to inform the boss of your request, no guarantees it’ll happen though.” Kiyo uttered a soft murmur, perhaps a chuckle, Verox couldn’t quite make out through the crackle of the device.

“Ah, I gotta go, V. We’re taking off again and service is well.. We’re in space. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Verox placed a paw on his neck and huffed.

“Okay, love you.”

“Love you t–” The device cut out and beeped, indicating the call was dropped. Ugh. Verox felt an overwhelming sadness well up within him. He walked the bustling streets feeling heavy–Like an unimaginable weight had been placed upon him.

“Ma’! Look!” A young alien, a Korso, Verox recognized, bumped into him pointing at the sky. They startled Verox a little and he stumbled, having not expected a sudden shove. A taller Korso, the young alien’s mother, scooted them along and apologized to the Xero for the inconvenience they caused.

“It’s no problem. Whatcha’ lookin’ at little fella?” Verox regained his balance and laughed a little, following the young Korso’s arm to the sky. Verox could just barely see a small ball of light flying over the Harbor. A ship, one of ARC’s due to it’s build, graced the expansive sky for a few moments before hiding behind a tall building. Though it was unlikely to be Kiyo’s ship, he smiled and waved anyway.

“Woah.” The Korso was left in awe. “I wanna do that some day.”
Verox bent down to their height and reached into their pouch. He pulled out a small, metallic pin, shaped to resemble the wings of an ARC fighter ship. In small lettering it read:

For The Explorers, Take Your Wings and Fly

“Oh please, they really don’t need–” The Korso’s mother began. Verox cut her off before she could continue.

“Space is pretty cool,” He took the young Korso’s hand and placed the pin within it, folding their hoof-like fingers around it. “I’ll be seeing you on ARC’s flight team someday, huh? We’re always looking for new explorers to join us.”

“Aku’r, give that back. Sir, I’m sorry but they can’t take this.” The Korso’s mother shook her head. Verox shot her an unapproving gaze as he felt the fur on the back of his neck rising. He remained calm, though his voice now fell flat in a stern manner.

“Don’t worry about it. I can always get another one. They can keep it, really.”

“Thank you so much I–” A glimmer of wonder met Verox’s eyes as Aku’r looked up.

“Well, we really must be going then. Thank you..” The mother led her child away from Verox and he watched as they disappeared into the crowd, Aku’r waving as they left. He really did hope to see that Korso piloting a ship someday and hoped that their mother wouldn’t hold them back.

                                                                      ****

The sky grew a deep blue-pink as the day laid to rest. Verox yawned, though he wasn’t tired. Kiyo hadn’t messaged Verox since that morning. He had spent the day exploring the reserve, buying supplies and interesting foods he’d like to try with Kiyo once he got back. Around noon, Verox had texted Kiyo that he was going to make dinner and that it was his favorite, Magma Pepper noodles. No response. He texted Kiyo about the Korso he met, and how he gave his ARC pilot pin away. No response. He sent a picture of him cooking. No response. He waited to eat the noodles he had cooked, but as the bowl he sat out for Kiyo began to grow cold, Verox couldn’t help himself. The eerie shadow of the empty seat at the wooden table they shared so many memories at made a shiver run down Verox’s spine. It was awfully quiet, and he hated it. The silence bounced off of the walls. Verox fiddled with his device, unsure of what to do.

A sudden knock jolted him out of his chair and to the front door. He uttered a soft murmur of words before opening it, a “Please be Kiyo. Pleeeeaaase.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

A familiar face eyed Verox. Verox stood still for a few moments, exchanging uncomfortable glances with the Xero before him.

“Ghost… You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the lab right now?”

“Um.. Yes. I got scared.”

Verox crouched down to meet the Xero’s height and inspected them. He let out an exhausted sigh and invited Ghost in.
“Where’s Kiyo?” Verox followed Ghost, who was staring at the empty seat and the untouched bowl of noodles.

“On a mission.”

“Oh. Shouldn’t he be back–”

“Yes. He should’ve been back hours ago.” Verox huffed. Ghost sat in Kiyo’s chair, subtly kicking their feet underneath the table.

“You should do something for him.” Ghost, unusually happy, chirped.

“What?” Verox responded, confused at what the young Xero meant.

“You know, like… A card or something. Or a present! Everyone likes presents.” They giggled at the thought of receiving a present from a loved one.

“Hmm… Good idea.” Verox held his paw at his chin, contemplating.

“Can I help? Oooh, please, please, please can I help?” Ghost was practically jumping out of Kiyo’s chair.

“Well… Sure, why not. Can you cut out a bunch of hearts?” Verox winked at Ghost as the pair got to work. Ghost made quick work of a sheet of red construction paper, doodling stick-figure versions of Verox and Kiyo on the hearts they had cut out. While Ghost made hearts, Verox wrote a letter.

“Argh.” Verox let out a groan after a few moments filled with busy silence.

“Hmm?” Ghost looked up from their pile of cut-out hearts.

“Words are hard, especially when you’re writing about the person you love. I don’t know what to say! Or what I should say. There’s a lot to say about Kiyo and not enough space. Ugh, maybe this was a bad idea.”

“Write about what you’ve done together. Or what you like about him.”

“Okay…” Verox nodded slowly, and began to write. He wrote in a furious manner, papers scattered across the table mixing with red hearts. Ghost watched as words spilled onto the page. Verox let out a triumphant breath after a lengthy amount of time spent writing away.

“Done?”

“Done.” Verox yawned and smiled. The pair gathered up the hearts, the scattered papers, the letter and set them up on the table next to the bowl of noodles for Kiyo to find once he returned.

Verox rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake. Ghost had fallen asleep on a beanbag chair shortly after the pair had finished setting out the hearts and the letter. The tundra Xero desperately wanted to stay awake to greet Kiyo but… He was quickly dozing off with each passing minute, barely able to keep his head up.

                                                                      ****

Kiyo fumbled with the keys to he and Verox’s home. A quiet click, and the silent twist of a doorknob allowed Kiyo inside.

“Oh V, I’m so sorry I–” Kiyo stopped, noticing a sleeping figure laying on a beanbag in the dimly lit common room. He tip-toed over, afraid to wake them, and found a Ghost, who was bundled up in their hoodie. Kiyo grabbed a blanket from a nearby couch and laid it over them. He walked back over to the kitchen, where a bowl of his favorite meal greeted him, alongside scattered red hearts and a white envelope.

“Oh Verox…” Kiyo whispered, afraid to wake Ghost. He sat down and sorted through the paper hearts, all a little imperfect with a doodle of Kiyo and Verox scribbled onto them. Each heart was signed on the back by Ghost.

“A true artist.”Kiyo laughed to himself. He carefully opened the white envelope, afraid to rip the contents inside. A white sheet of paper, painted with dark words, slid out in a graceful manner.

Kiyo,
Many say I have a way with words and truthfully… I don’t. I just act like I do and try to say something right. But really, there’s not enough words, not enough sheets of paper, to even being to describe the feelings I have for you, and the feelings I feel when we’re together. You’re my 2nd-in-command and technically my partner-in-crime (Ha). I can’t imagine my life without you… How boring! Not nearly as many ARC ships would be crashed.

I remember the day I met you. Only 2 weeks out of the ORB, of course the memory is hazy, but I remember you sharing your snack with me, a disgustingly flavored cracker meant to help teething Xeros. Years later we were getting into any trouble we could…God we were such awful teens. I remember when you spraypainted that one brick wall, the one by… Oh whose house was it.. It was that one girl from the lab we both hated, you got the spraypaint all over your fur and we couldn’t stop laughing for hours.
And then years later, when we both had lives, jobs… When we visited The Curator. I remember how after we went home, we stayed up talking for hours. I’ll never forget that night. I think I always knew I had feelings but I was too afraid of ruining our friendship. I was just content spending time with you. And then that stupid survey, my impossible schedule that never allowed time for us to be together… Our first kiss.

The smile you gave me when we both signed off on mentoring Ghost, together. The way your eyes light up everytime you talk about a special interest. The rhythm of your breathing when you sleep next to me. I can’t imagine spending my life with any other Xero at my side. You are my world, Kiyo, and I love you. I love you more than that word. There’s so much more, just… No words for it. I told you I’m bad with words.

Verox ♡

P.S. Don’t look in the trash, you’ll find all of my drafts amongst Ghost’s discarded paper.


Kiyo stared at Verox’s signature, a scribble he could barely make out as the tundra Xero’s name, as tears welled up in his eyes. He made his way to Verox’s bedroom, unafraid to wake him now, and found him quietly snoring.

“V.” Kiyo, choked up and barely able to speak, sat next to Verox, who was unaware of his boyfriend’s presence in the room.

“V… I-”

“Kiyo?” Verox stirred under his blankets and sat up, pleasantly surprised. His voice was groggy and rough, a complete contrast from his usual smooth tone. Kiyo certainly didn’t mind.

“V, I.. I got your letter. And the hearts. Ghost should draw m–”

Verox pulled Kiyo in and kissed him hard. He felt fuzzy inside, though quickly pulled away when water hit his fur.

“Kiyo? Oh Kiyo–” Verox wiped the tears from Kiyo’s face and kissed him again.

“I love you. A lot. Dork.” Kiyo whispered as Verox held him.

‘I love you too, nerd.” Verox laughed as the two flopped back, hitting soft pillows and bundled up blankets. Their snouts just barely touched as they laid together, cuddling. Kiyo curled up into Verox, Verox resting his head on Kiyo’s.