Archive of Our Own ^beta

Earth. In the state of Oregon, on an overcast day, just outside the town of Headwood, there was a very large wood. Broken up into lands by a thin winding river that connected to a lake further down the way.

On one of those lands, in a clearing in front of the river, there was a cabin. Sat there in front of the woods, with a beautiful view of where the river transitioned into the lake, off to the side. It had large patio at its front with a roof, strings of Edison lights and multiple pieces of deck furniture. Which is where Liam Payne stood. Having just entered his patio, sipping a freshly brewed cup of black tea that was bursting with notes of honey and lavender.

…The air was still.

Save for the lightest breeze brushing softly on the skin of your bare arms, curling around your form, and blowing away.
He stood there, sipping his tea and looking out at the calm water, looking for that usual feeling of serenity that accompanied it. The animals were a bit quiet today. Instead of making their usual calls and sounds, they seemed to have opted for a bit more silence than usual.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a white pinprick in the sky. It was higher than the clouds, and barely bigger than the tip of a very sharp pencil. And it was slowly moving closer.

He thought it was just a plane in the distance, but the way it moved was… odd. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something about it that was different from a plane. Not thinking much of it-but still curious, his eyes followed it while he calmly sipped his beverage.

Suddenly a cardinal he hadn’t noticed sitting on the railing next to him started making rapid chirping and squawking noises, each getting louder than the last, until it let out the biggest screech it probably ever had in its life when-

FLASH.

There was a wave of blinding white light accompanied by a loud BOMPH sound, startling him.

His ceramic mug of tea fell from his hand and fell to the ground, shattering upon contact with the wood floor as he moved his arms to shield himself from the light as it whooshed past him, and dissipated with lighting speed. There were several animals chirping and howling now, including the dog he co-owned with his sister barking from inside the house.

When the light disappeared, Liam quickly looked past his hand shielding his face and his eyes went wide and his jaw slack. A very large silver ball was barreling towards the earth, and In a split second, it made contact with the tall trees-and demolishing several of them-on the largest land across from his house, and crash landing into the its clearing with sudden force so strong, it sent tremors through the earth equivalent to a small earthquake. Sending Liam stumbling back and slipping on a piece of broken wet ceramic and just barely catching himself on one of the patio chairs.

And then, the air was still. The animals were making their usual quiet calls and it was as if nothing had happened.

He sat there trying to catch his breath, absolutely dumbstruck by what he just witnessed. Liam was a rational man, and very few things had the capacity to floor him-literally-like this.

The sliver sphere looked as if it was rough and bumpy, textured like a large boulder or rock would be, but somehow still perfectly spherical, even after a crash landing.

His mind was racing, but his first instinct was to call the police so they could address and handle the situation properly. But as he pulled his phone from his pants pocket, he saw something. An opening in the sphere that wasn’t there before. A tall oval shaped hole that seemed to hold nothing but darkness. Until he saw movement.

 

Someone is in there.

 

Paul-the dog-started barking and jumping on the screen, but there was no time to focus in it as Liam stood himself back up, “Sorry, I can’t help you right now,” He said as he ran down the stairs to the yard to check if the person-who or whatever they were-was ok.

 

As he ran across his yard, and trudged through the water-it’s only about a half foot deep between the lands-he got a closer look at the sphere. It seemed to be just a bit taller than he was, and made out of a very smooth metal, shining and almost sparking in the sun. It seemed to be dotted with a few burn marks here and there, and it was splattered with dirt from tearing through the grass upon crashing.

He had just made it through the water when a form appeared in the hole-It was a human person. With a darker skin tone and facial features Liam couldn’t quite make from his distance yet. They were attempting to leave the sphere, but they were gripping the metal and stumbling as they attempted to walk out of it, like a drunk person unable to catch their balance. Perhaps shaken from the landing.

 

Liam increased his speed and called out to them, “Hey! Are you alright?” As they struggled to find their balance as they shakily walked away from the doorway.

 

He saw their head lift slightly and look at him from where he ran 30 feet away from them-and closing. They were wearing what appeared to be a long, black coat that nearly touched the ground, with large silver snap buttons that looked worn and used. Below their coat, they wore black boots that looked slightly newer, but almost as worn as the coat buttons.

“W…who ቿዪፕሀ you…?” They spoke, just loud enough to be audible, but not loud enough for Liam to understand.

 

“What?” He replied. 15 feet to go.

 

“Who…who ቿዪፕሀ you?…” They repeated, looking at the ground and turning to face the water and trees of the land beside them.

 

10 feet to go.

 

“ሠ ዘጌጠነ ኗቿሃሃሁ ነጎቿ...“ They stopped, looking as though their legs might buckle beneath them.

 

“Hang on!” 5 feet.

 

They stumbled backwards and Liam sped to them as they collapsed and he caught them in his arms.

 

“Are you alright? Can you hear me?!” Liam tried, but the person gave no response. Judging by the stillness in their face and limpness in their body, they were completely unconscious.

Liam just stared at them. They appeared to be an adult male around his age, with dark black hair that was shaved on the sides and longer on top-just enough to run your fingers through-smooth cheekbones, and a short beard that matched his hair. He also had small silver hoop earrings in each ear that reflected the sunlight that decided to finally shine through the clouds at that moment.

Liam quickly looked over the man’s face and torso to check for any Injures, but luckily didn’t find any. It wasn’t hard to see that he was absolutely covered in tattoos. From the sides of his head, to his neck, to even the tips of his fingers, they covered him. He looked like he was of Indian or Pakistani descent, but Liam wasn’t sure. He studied the man’s face, looking for something- he wasn’t sure what, when something caught his eye.

A soft purple-ish light, emanating from somewhere , and shining on the grass. Carefully, Liam picked up the man’s hand from where it dangled near the ground, and held in his to see a series of glowing dots on his skin, arranged in a series of spiraling and circling lines, like a tattoo, but alive.

He barely had time to register the bizarre sight before the dots faded, their light dimming until they were dark grey marks on his skin. Like a candle being snuffed out.

Alarmed, Liam quickly leaned in close to the stranger’s chest to listen for breathing, and was relieved he could hear steady breaths and see the rising and falling of his chest, seemingly ok. Of course, there could be internal damage,   Liam had no idea .

Looking around, he saw the sphere next to them, and saw it had writing engraved into it in a language he had never seen before. Made of lines with sharp edges, and swirls that resembled the glowing dots on the stranger’s hand. And above it, a small painting. Somehow undamaged from the entry. Of a stick figure and a person…taller than the other with blue skin. Above scraggly writing that said,“ልዪፕኗጎጎጎል”

Liam’s mind was spiraling, but the best thing to do right now is to get the man in the house-away from the possible threat of coyotes, and get him laid down.

After one more look at his face-longer than a person would normally look at another-Liam situated his arm under the stranger’s legs, and held him bridal-style in his arms to take him to the cabin.

He looked back and noticed several deer and other forest creatures that were apparently watching them this whole time. He waited, but it seemed like they weren’t going to attack or follow them, so he made off towards the cabin, glancing back at the woodland creatures that watched them…curiously.

 

Liam trudged up the stairs and tried to shake the water off of his boots, but to little avail. Paul however, had waited at the door, and was now barking and jumping up on the mesh screen door upon seeing Liam with the stranger in his arms.

 

“Yes Paul, I’m coming, shh, shh…” Liam spoke as he crossed the patio to the screen door and maneuvered his hand under the man’s legs to open it, allowing Paul to jump out and run around his legs while he walked into the house. Barking louder, and jumping on his legs. “ Shh-shh quiet, Paul! ” Liam hissed for fear Paul would startle the man, or wake him up.

Paul quieted down, and calmly walked behind him as Liam crossed Into the living room. He laid the stranger down on the gray couch, careful to lie his head on the arm.

Unsure of what to do, he looked and saw the stranger was indeed wearing a black shirt and dark baggy pants under his coat, so he gently removed it, careful of his limbs, and laid him back down. He folded the coat in half and laid it over the arm of a matching grey lounge chair.

The man was still seemed to be asleep, so Liam retrieved a dark green fleece blanket from the linen cupboard in the adjacent hallway and draped it over him.

Liam stood there, unsure of what to do. He wondered where he came from. What he endured on his journey here. If he wasn’t human. Not human, oh dear god, he’s not human! Liam thought, rubbing the back of his neck like he often did when he was stressed.

What could he do? He couldn’t call the police, because what if they turn him in to the FBI and they do something to him? Something could be seriously wrong with him, but he can’t take him to the hospital, because they learn he’s “ not from here ” they’ll wheel him away and dissect him!

Liam sighed. The only thing he could really do was wait for him to wake up. If he even did. He watched him, chest gently rising and falling. Looking peaceful and slumbering.

The stranger had such long eyelashes…and such smooth skin.

What?

Liam shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at Paul sitting on the kitchen tile by the table chairs. Panting, and sitting quietly, like nothing was different. He eyed the dog curiously. Earlier, they weren’t warning barks, or yelps of aggression like he usually gives when they pass an uncouth stranger on the street that he wants to protect him from, but curious and playful barks. And acted like a dog that wants to play and have fun with the new individual. Which never happens with Paul. There’s only a few people that he approves of near Liam or his sister. And not many that he has an instant connection to.

 

“What are you doing? What is up with you?” He playfully said as he walked over to the mutt, ruffling the blond fur on top of his head.

 

Paul let out a quiet arf! and laid down. Eying something in the distance.

 

Liam saw he was looking at his water bowl-that was currently empty. “I guess I should get you some more water, huh?” He picked up the bowl and took it to the steel farm sink to refill it. Once the bowl reached the point of almost overflowing, he turned off the water and sat it back down next to the half-eaten food bowl. “There you go.” Liam said, but Paul just laid there. Like he couldn’t be bothered.

Liam sighed, trying to take everything in. He looked to the living room with the sleeping stranger, who hadn’t moved since Liam left the room. He looked at the clock in the kitchen and saw the digital time on the microwave read 12:32pm. Well, he should make lunch, he supposed. With one last glance at the stranger, he walked into the kitchen to make food.

He hoped the alien liked bologna sandwiches.

 

          ☆☆♥︎