People stared whenever they left the house.

James wasn’t sure if it was because they were two men who were very obviously a couple, because Maze was incapable of not proving to everyone with eyes that James was his, or if it was because one of those men was an alien. James often found himself blushing when people stared and wishing he had Maze’s confidence.


Maze wasn’t the first alien to walk on the Earth, but he was certainly the most obvious. Other aliens generally chose to disguise themselves to fit in better with humans but Maze wore his true identity for all to see. He didn’t care that his skin was green or that he glowed faintly every time he was experiencing a strong emotion. As far as he was concerned he was what he was and if other people didn’t like that, it wasn’t his problem.