Summary: You hide your fear of living on Kwei’s world, believing strength means silence. When Kwei realises too late that endurance does not equal peace.
You learn how to be quiet about it.
The fear, that is.
You learn when to still your breathing at night when the wind howls too loudly against the walls.
You learn how to keep your hands steady when unfamiliar sounds echo, when creatures cry out in the dark in ways that remind you that this world was never meant for humans.
You never scream.
You never ask Kwei to stay when he rises before dawn to patrol the perimeter. You never tell him how your heart races when the ground shakes under your feet.
You are strong.
That is what everyone says.
That is what Kwei believes.
So you cry silently instead.
Kwei notices the change too late.
He notices it in the way you flinch when something drops behind you.
In the way you linger near the fire longer than necessary. In the way your sleep becomes shallow, restless.
One night, he wakes to the sound of your breathing hitching.
Not loud. Not dramatic.
Just wrong.
He turns toward you and sees it. Your face turned away, shoulders trembling, tears slipping quietly into the furs under you.
You do not make a sound.
Kwei’s chest tightens painfully.
He reaches for you, then stops, afraid of startling you. Instead, he speaks your name softly.
You freeze.
“I did not wish to wake you. I am fine.” You try to reassure him, but he knows better.
The lie hurts him more than any wound.
“You are afraid,” he says gently.
You shake your head at first, then stop. The truth becomes too much in your heart.
“I did not want to burden you. This is your world. Your home. I thought if I was strong enough, the fear would pass.”
Kwei sits up fully now, turning to face you.
“Strength does not mean the absence of fear. It means being seen in it.”
You swallow.
“I was afraid you would think I did not belong.”
His mandibles flare slightly, a sign of something close to anguish.
“I thought your silence meant peace, I thought because you endured, you were unafraid.”
He reaches for you then, pulling you carefully into his chest, wrapping you in the warmth and solidity of him.
“I failed to see you. That will not happen again. I apologise.”
"You have nothing to apologise for." You lean into him, allowing his warmth to fill your chest and calm your racing heart.
The next night, something prowls too close to your home.
The alarms sound low and urgent. The clan moves to intercept, but Kwei does not leave you immediately. First, he turns to you.
He positions himself in front of you, body a living wall, one hand resting firmly at your back.
“You stay here,” he says before he goes out and locks the door.
When the threat is driven off, Kwei does not chase glory or trophies.
He returns to you immediately, checking you over with careful hands.
“It is gone. Nothing will take you from me.”
Later, when the fires burn low again, you sit together in the quiet.
Your fear does not vanish completely.
But it eases.
You rest your forehead against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm beneath.
“I feel calm,” you whisper. "You protected me today."
Kwei lowers his head, resting it against yours.
"I promised to keep you safe and warm."
For the first time since arriving in this world, you let yourself believe it.
You sleep without tears that night and every night after.
Just the Three of Us: You, Me, and "Scientific Curiosity" - Kwei (Predator: Badlands) x GN! Reader
In which Kwei asks you to do him a favor and things get a little out of hand. Metaphorically. In a literal sense, there are things in hands. You know what I mean.
Read on Ao3
Just the Three of Us Masterlist
This part is NSFW and 18+
“So after that, I’d been stuck up there in that stupid dead tree, for, like, forever,” Thia was telling you. “I was so bored I thought I was gonna die. But then, out of nowhere, Dek appears! And you know him. He’s all grumpy at first and doesn’t want anything to do with me. That is, until a vulture flies over and starts dropping rocks in the field. And like I said, that would make the flowers explode and stick you with a paralyzing agent. Not fun. Dek was freaking out and started running through the field like that would help. Obviously, one of the plants exploded, and he got paralyzed– to no one’s surprise– but before he conked out he threw his shuriken to me because I guess I’d finally convinced him that again, to no one’s surprise, even a big strong Yautja warrior can’t fight a vulture that’s trying to eat him while he’s paralyzed. Anyway, I cut myself free and– y’know, killed the vulture and gave Dek the antivenom and then we were best friends forever.”
“Best friends forever,” you echoed with a grin. “Gotcha.”
She nodded rapidly. “We were and we are. He just didn’t want to accept it. Until he came to rescue me!”
“And Bud? Was she his best friend all along too?”
“Absolutely. They’re like two very large peas in a pod.”
“I find that hard to believe.” You were working on setting up a large bonfire while Thia simultaneously yapped and helped. The system’s star was darkening on the horizon and the chill of dusk was already setting in– not too badly, though, for this was a relatively warm planet.
“You’d be right to be skeptical.” Thia tossed more sticks into the pile. “He’s always been a big softie at heart, though. It’s hard to see.”
“And what about Kwei?” Even saying his name made butterflies flutter in your chest. “Is he a big softie too, in your opinion?”
“He might be even more of a sap than Dek. Don’t tell him that, though.”
“Noted. Hey, why exactly aren’t the two giant murder aliens out here cleaning these bones and leaving a weak ooman and a “tool” to do it instead?’
Thia let out a laugh and shrugged. “Oh, who knows. Yautja are curious critters. No one knows why they do what they do.”
“Yeah,” you agreed, thinking about a certain handmade journal and a carved vertebrae.
Thia started talking again, this time about the celebration tomorrow. Its preparation was weeks in the making. That was why you were cleaning this pelt and probably why Dek and Kwei were off doing who knew what– to get ready. It would be small, considering Dek’s clan consisted only of him, Thia, Kwei, Bud, you, and a few other stragglers you’d picked up across the stars, but according to Dek and Kwei, that was no reason not to go all out. Apparently it would consist of a fire, a great feast, and singing to celebrate the coldest days on Yautja Prime– although you were not on Yautja Prime, and their “coldest day” was only around 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit on average. It was quite cold by Yautja standards, though.
The communication device on your wrist gave a little buzz and you glanced at it. There was a message from Kwei.
[I must decorate the ship. Bring Has-os bones to me?]
You glanced up, only to come nose-to-nose with Thia.
You jumped. “Thia! Shit! Personal space!”
“Sorry,” she giggled. “Who’s that from? Kwei?” The name has a sing-songy lilt to it.
“Yes,” you replied in the most normal tone possible.
She giggled again. “What’s he saying?”
“Stop it with that tone.” You gave her a glare. “And he’s literally just saying to bring him bones.”
Thia snickered loudly and you gave her a shrug. “He’s gonna bring you a b–”
“STOPTHAT.” You started to walk away before she said anything worse. Why is she acting like this? As if she knows? Oh, maybe Kwei told Dek, who told Thia…
You shook you head– it didn’t matter– and picked up a few of the Has-os’s bones from where they’d been drying in the sunlight that day before climbing up the steps of the “mothership.” It wasn’t really a mothership like from scary alien invasion movies, but you’d taken to calling it that because it was big and it could charge up all the other little personal ships. It wasn’t that big, though, maybe just… half the size of a small aircraft carrier? Alright, fine, that was pretty big. But not Star Destroyer big.
The airlock doors were typically kept unlocked when someone was outside, just in case some giant alien started chasing them and they needed to make a quick getaway. Sounded ridiculous, but it had happened multiple times.
Your arms were already burning with the weight of the giant bones as you entered the mothership. You paused, though, and realized you didn’t know where Kwei was. You dropped the bones onto the floor with a clatter and shot him a message– written in Yautja, to practice your skills: [Got the bones. Where are you?]
He responded instantly: [In my quarters. Come.]
You gathered up the bones again and made your way to the top deck of the ship, where Kwei’s quarters were, and definitely did not let your mind wander. You’d never been into his quarters. Maybe inviting someone to your quarters was super super intimate for Yautja, and the bones were an excuse–
You realized upon reaching Kwei’s door that you couldn’t knock on it, as your hands were full of bones, so you gave it a few light kicks with the toe of your boot.
Inside, Kwei commanded the door to open. It did. The first thing you saw–
Oh. My. Paya.
He stood, facing away from you, naked as the day he was born, offering you an eyeful of Yautja butt.
“OhmygoshIamsosososorryohmy–” the bones fell from your arms again as you slapped your hands over your eyes.
“Ooman?” You heard Kwei say, his voice accompanied by footsteps approaching. “What is wrong? You dropped the bones.”
“You’resonakedI’llcomebacklaterI’msosrry,” you muttered, trying to turn and leave only to smack your forehead into the wall.
The air behind you suddenly seemed warmer as Kwei came to a stop only a few inches from you and rested his flesh hand on your shoulder. “Ooman… be calm. There is no threat.”
“I know, you’re just so naked.”
“Of course I have no armor on. I recently bathed–” He did smell quite pleasant, now that you thought about it. Okay, time to stop thinking about it. STOP THINKING ABOUT HOW NICE HE SMELLS. “And I am not hunting or traveling.” He paused. “Ah. Right. I forgot that humans find all nakedness distasteful. I apologize. I can put on my armor if it would make you more comfortable.”
Yeah. Yautja had two modes: completely naked or in armor, and they didn’t really experience “self-conciousness.” “Modest clothing” was only worn by sucklings or elders, whose clothing was a status symbol.
“I mean– you don’t have to,” you replied, still not turning around. “You don’t have to put on armor just because humans are weird about butts.” Making a guy who didn’t see his body as something to be ashamed of put on heavy armor just so you wouldn’t have to look at him was perhaps a bit of an asshole move.
“Thank you. And I admit I do not understand why oomans are weird about buttocks,” Kwei said. You heard the sound of bones scraping against each other as he picked them up. You cracked your eyelids open and peeked between your fingers– solely for the purpose of scientific curiosity. “They are only flesh.”
“I don’t know either. Just culture, I guess.”
Kwei tossed the bones onto his bed, which took you a minute to really identify. It was more of a raised nest, like the one he’d made for you two on the ice planet. It looked incredibly comfortable. You’d like to sleep there.
With Kwei.
STOP.
“Thank you for the bones,” Kwei said and turned to face you.
“You’re w–” you trailed off when you saw the whole of his front. His chest and belly, you’d seen before when he removed his chest armor to skin animals. It was well-muscled and a lighter color than the rest of his skin. You wondered if it was softer than the thick scales on his shoulders.
But that wasn’t what drew your attention. No, it was what was between his legs– or lack thereof. Where you’d expected a phallus was only a slight bulge with a slit down the middle. The whole area was the same soft tan as his belly– except for that slit, where you thought you detected just a hint of pink. A sheath. You’d known this, logically, as it was listed in Weyland-Yutani records about the species, but seeing it in real life was completely different.
It made your insides feel warm in a way that the records certainly didn’t.
“You are staring,” Kwei rumbled, his voice abnormally low.
“Sorry,” you replied, yanking your gaze away. “Just– curious.” Liar. There’s so much more to it than that!
“You have never seen a Yautja’s sex before,” he said. It wasn’t a question; he knew you hadn’t.
“No. I mean, I know the basics from a scientific perspective…”
He tilted his head and a low sound echoed through the room, originating from deep in his chest. “Scientific perspective,” he repeated. “…Would you like to know more?”
“Really? Yes!” You accepted instantly, spurred on more by your inner scientist than the heat in you– although that heat was steadily growing.
“Come.” Yes, his voice was definitely lower-toned than it had been. He pushed the Has-os bones further into his nest and sat down on it, muscular thighs spread, paws dangling above the floor.
You crept forward, looking him up and down curiously. You noted his lack of nipples– only females were capable of making milk, and even then, their breasts were very hard to differentiate from male Yautja pectorals, as both were almost entirely solid muscle.
Your gaze trailed down to the collection of black quills running up his tummy. They were almost cute, and you wondered if they were pliable like the short predlocs on his head or stiff like porcupine quills. You wanted to touch them. Your hand twitched– before you pulled it back, catching yourself just in time.
Kwei slowly looked between your face and your hand. “You wish to touch me.”
“I– um,” you paused, blood running cold, suddenly remembering that despite how kind and gentle and loving Kwei was, he was also an eight foot tall murder alien.
His hand extended towards yours, to your surprise, and pulled it closer to rest on his firmly-muscled stomach.
You were right. The skin of his belly was far softer than the rest of him. It felt almost like well-kept, hydrated human skin. Your hand trailed down to poke at the quills– soft and pliable like predlocs.
A purr ran through Kwei. You felt it travel from your fingertips all the way through your ribs and into your heart. You let your hand rest there for a moment, soaking in the feeling, before curiosity overwhelmed you and you moved your hand a little more South. You paused, glancing at him with question, giving him an opportunity to stop you, but he didn’t. The yellow of his eyes was almost gone beneath his expanded pupils.
Your hand lowered, fingertips brushing right above the sheath, watching for a reaction– there it was. His eyes squeezed closed and his mandibles fell open, letting you hear even clearer his soft huffs of anticipation. And you had barely touched him! Clearly, he was sensitive.
Your hand dipped lower, resting on his thigh– it was probably as thicker than a missile, with tough muscles creating valleys and hills of scales– while you examined his sheath more closely. Indeed, it seemed to have the same soft pink flesh inside as the inside of his mandibles. The skin of the sheath, though, upon further inspection, was a different kind of skin than his belly– the same color, but a little thicker, likely to protect the reproductive organs. You dipped your head a little, feeling awkward, and noted that the sheath’s skin perfectly fused to the perineum. How fascinating.
There was only one thing left to explore: what lay inside the sheath. You were a little nervous, to be honest. But a scientist’s job is to discover. So, you ran the very tip of your pointer finger down the slit, the digit collecting warm moisture alone the way– Kwei let out a muffled whimper–
Before someone knocked on the door.
You snatched your hand back as if you’d been burned and Kwei choked back a snarl, mandibles flexing. “What?” Ooh, he was not happy.
“I thought you asked the science ooman to bring in the bones!” Came Dek’s voice from the other side of the door. “Where are they? It does not take long to carry bones. It also does not take long to bathe, so come out!”
Kwei’s eyes widened in a comical expression, before he stood, glanced around the room for some reason, and said, “I will be out there in a minute! I already have the bones, they dropped them off, I– I think that they are now outside with Thia!”
Dek gave a grunt of annoyance. “You take forever, brother. Hurry so we may decorate.” His loud footsteps– how had you not heard those?-- stalked away.
You and Kwei let out a sigh of relief and he picked out some armor to wear while decorating, then gathered up the bones which had been forgotten in his nest.
“I would like to continue your… research, sometime, if you would be agreeable,” Kwei said, right before exiting his room.
“I would very much like to,” you replied, still not sure what had just happened. Kwei left to go find Dek and you took a few deep breaths before leaving too. You had some notes to take about Yautja biology.
Perhaps a cold shower would be beneficial, too.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Thia stood, hands on her hips, facing the bonfire, proud of her work. She’d finished it all by herself in the growing dark. Sure, she probably could’ve gone inside and finished it the next morning, but judging by the scientist’s face when they’d gotten that message from Kwei, she was probably going to have to recharge with earplugs in. Perhaps she should create some Yautja earplugs for Dek. He’d definitely need them.
Kwei was literally Dek’s dad though. It’s very heavily implied that he was parentified at a young age bc Dek was ignored in his favour, but ironically, I think that parentification actually saved their relationship. Kwei and Dek are as close as they are bc Kwei took on the brunt of raising his baby brother, training him, teaching him everything, and Dek was receptive, following his brother’s lead. Hell, Kwei went as far as to try and forbid Dek from going to Genna, despite not technically having that authority. Who knows how their dynamic would turn out if Kwei didn’t feel like it was his responsibility to look out for Dek…
