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Doug snuggled up under his blankets, feeling the warm purr of his best friend cuddled up against him. He remembered before - before the lights in the sky, and the mess that had happened to his mom and dad's garden. He didn't like thinking about it too much, but he remembered. He'd been lonely. Really lonely, because the other children at school hadn't liked him or what he could do.
He cuddled up, reaching out to try and scoop Warlock into his arms. The other boy was mostly-asleep, a bunch of black and golden wires that were vibrating softly in almost-snores. Warlock resembled a jumble of spaghetti at moments like this, if spaghetti purred and whirred and wiggled. It was alright, because he wasn't lonely any more, he had a best friend. The best friend ever.
When he had first arrived, Warlock had been very shy, and Doug had been the only one who could talk to him, sitting on the floor of the space ship that Warlock had landed in, and using his torch to flash out messages. But now Warlock talked a little bit.
Doug thought that the reason he could understand things, even in languages he had never seen before, was so that he and Warlock could be best friends. Because Warlock was the best friend ever, and if Doug couldn't understand him then Warlock would have been lonely. Doug didn't mind having been lonely before if it meant Warlock wasn't. The other children told him he cheated in exams and things but he didn't. He was good, and he wouldn't cheat. But Warlock never thought he cheated, never got angry at him for how he understood things. And they had a sleepover every single night.
He stretched, and smiled to himself, remembering his secret plan for today. His mom had said he could go to the Christmas Market all by himself this year, and he had saved up so that he could get presents for his whole family.
Most exciting though was the present he had planned to give to Warlock. His mom and dad had found out about Warlock by accident, but said he could stay, as long as Doug knew that it was like his gift with languages - it was something he had to keep secret, had to try and hide even if that meant lying. Doug didn't like lying, but he didn't want his friend hurt, so they went along with it. He taught Warlock what he learned at school and studied hard and did what he could to be a good son and a good friend.
But he knew that Warlock got bored sometimes, having to hide inside all of the time.
"Selfriend Doug?" Warlock asked, finally waking up after all the wiggling he had been doing. Doug tried not to laugh as he felt Warlock pull himself together, the spaghetti tangle smoothing down into a shape of a boy, Warlock's face against his own.
"Yes?"
"Selfriend Doug is happy?"
"Very happy, thank you."
"Then self is happy." Warlock said determinedly. "What are today’s activities?"
"I thought we could make some paper chains?" Doug suggested. "We could decorate the room."
Warlock shifted, climbing up the wall and hanging from the ceiling like a spider's web. Doug giggled and clapped, but shook his head. The spider's web blinked, then flopped back down on the bed.
"You can't be the decoration, Warlock. You'd get bored."
"Self would miss cuddles." Warlock admitted, nuzzling up sleepily. Doug cuddled him for a moment, patting at the top of his head, and went to get some breakfast for them and some coloured paper. He had some toast, and his mom had helped him grow some cress that Warlock could have as a breakfast snack, even though Warlock could eat out of the plug socket.
They spent a very fun day working on the paper chains. Warlock was very quick at making them, so soon they had enough to string around the entire house. It got towards evening, and Doug started to bounce with excitement.
"Selfriend?"
"Warlock," Doug grinned. "We can go to the Christmas market. I can sneak you there..." He smiled. "I've got a big puffy coat, and you can hide inside, and we can go and look at the lights, it’s so beautiful..."
Warlock purred his delight, and easily melded against Doug's body. He pulled on his hat and scarf and gloves, and headed out the door, trying not to let his parents see in case they guessed what he was up to.
No one stopped him.
He hurried down the road, gazing up at the stalls, little wooden cabins piled high with brightly glowing candles and soft fabrics. He wandered between them, rubbing his sleeve until an eyestalk poked out beneath his scarf.
"Take a look, Warlock..." He wandered through, going to buy a few presents, feeling Warlock cuddling him. Everything was lit up with strings of lights between the telephone poles, and there was Christmas music, and he felt warm and happy. He bought the presents he needed to get, then kept wandering, Warlock a constant weight and support at his side. As they continued, other little eyestalks emerged from under his hat and beneath his gloves, Warlock looking around in wonder at the world. He bought some lebkuchen, crumbling it up a little to let Warlock try a taste. It was dark now, but the world around him felt magical.
Soft flakes of snow drifted slowly down through the air, and he heard Warlock give a strange beepy sneeze, and all the eyestalks retracted simultaneously.
"Selfriend, it's cold."
"It's snowing. Come and look, it's beautiful."
The eyes reappeared beneath his scarf, gazing up in wonder at the world around him. Doug wished they would be able to stay like this forever, best friends, underneath the strings of lights. He knew they couldn't. But he had Warlock, and Warlock had him.
"One day, I'm going to have a string of lights for our bedroom." He said decisively, and Warlock nodded, the movement tickling his shoulder. He cuddled his coat around the two of them, gazing at it, and dreaming of a place where Warlock didn't have to hide. He was warm at his back, and Doug felt happy with him there.
The day Warlock had arrived was the best day of Doug's life, but every day he got to spend with his friend was the next-best.