“I know that. I do,” Jude insisted. “And yeah, your human body is, well, let’s say it’s well beyond anything I’d ever be able to score from an actual human, but that’s not why I like you, Al.”
“Is it not?” Al asked, a feeling of hope welling up inside him.
“No, of course not. You’re way more than just a pretty face.” Jude winked and Al’s cheeks went hot. “You’re funny as hell, usually without meaning to be, but on purpose, too. You’re clever. I give you a hard time about your English, or your occasional, ah,faux pas, but in reality you’re way smarter than I could ever be. You picked up a new language—and a new culture, really—in less than a damnhour, and every day since you’ve only gotten better. Even though I watched you eat an orange like an apple, peel and all, and you think the cat has its own language you can understand, I still think you’re brilliant.”
“Icanunderstand Buttons, Jude. I have explained to you many times that—”
Jude cut Al off by pressing a finger to his lips.
“Mypoint,” he said, removing the finger only once it became apparent Al was not going to continue arguing about whether or not he could speak cat (which, for the record, he most certainly could), “is that a hot body means nothing if the personality inside it is hot garbage. You’re sweet, and kind, and a really,reallygood lay, and I’m just…” He gave an awkward one-armed shrug. Dropping his voice down, he whispered melancholically, “I’m just gonna miss you a whole hell of a lot when you eventually have to go home.”
All the warmth Jude’s words were causing inside Al vanished at once, as though he’d been doused with a bucket of ice water—and hehatedbeing cold. He propped himself up on an elbow and scrunched his face in confusion.
“What do you mean?” he asked Jude. Adrenaline—a deeply unfortunate human body reaction to stress—began pumping through his veins.
“Um?” Jude frowned up at him. “What do you mean, ‘what do I mean?’”
“You stated that you will miss me when I return home.”
“…Yeah?” Jude did not seem to be feeling comprehension at the gravity of his words, which only served to place Al inside a brand-new panic spiral.
“Why would you miss me? Missing another person suggests you are at a significant distance from them.”
Jude’s mouth was slightly ajar, the way it became whenever Al said something too complicated about math, and in those circumstances Al typically felt endearment toward Jude, but now was not the time for misunderstandings. Although, he was beginning to feel fear that there might have already been a misunderstanding between them. A big one.
Al sat up on his knees, the blanket slipping off his body and his lanyard bouncing off his chest, and looked Jude square in the eye.
“Jude,” he said, voice shaking against his will. “Do you not intend to go with me to Darvrok 6?”
For a long moment the two of them stared at one another, the silence seeming to affect Al more this time around as he awaited Jude’s response.
“Al,” he said, and his tone was so apologetic that Al’s stomach immediately plummeted. “I can’t leave Earth. My whole life is here. I thought you knew that.”
Despite the higher percentage of oxygen, Al felt as though he couldn’t breathe. Hiswhole lifewas on Earth? Did that imply that Al was not a part of his life?
Or no. That couldn’t be it. Perhaps Jude was simply saying all of this because he wanted Al to stay on Earth but wasn’t sure how to bring it up. That made sense, did it not? After all, Jude had never left the planet before. It was likely he felt panic at the idea of leaving. Yes. That had to be where all of this had to be coming from.
“I suppose we could stay on Earth,” Al said thoughtfully, mind going at the speed of light, trying to consider all the logistics at once. “It would not be ideal, of course. Earth is very stupid, especially here in Alberkerkakay where you have a bad calendar and time and language, but if it is what you feel desire to do then I am willing to stay.”
“Oh,” Jude said softly, sounding impossibly sad. He reached out and took hold of Al’s hand, giving it a squeeze, which would usually give Al the feeling of reassurance, but there was something in Jude’s expression that caused him to feel wariness instead.
“I can’t leave Earth, Al, but you can’t stay, either. What about your parents? Your siblings? Not to mention you’re way smarter than every human combined. You’d go insane here. Everything you’ve ever known is a gazillion miles away from here. You can’t give all that up just to be here with me.”
This was a deeply inaccurate calculation of the distance between their planets, but it did not feel appropriate to bring attention to it just then. Besides, Al was more concerned about the valid point Jude had made. Humans were advanced for what they were, Al was willing to admit, but Al’s people had telepathy and were born with an innate intelligence that humans simply did not have access to, and while Al disagreed that he would ‘go insane’ being around humans, their children would need Darvrokian guidance. Al alone would not be enough to teach them what they needed to know. Judehadto come with him, at least until the children were older.
“You’ll come to my planet, and then later we can return,” Al said quickly and with authority. Jude opened his mouth to speak, but Al barreled on before he could object. “It is the most sensical option. You do not feel affection for many things on Earth, anyway. You say many complaints about your parents, and Lennon, and how Buttons continuously urinates on your items even though I have explained to you that she is attempting to communicate territorial concerns which you could discuss with her if you would bother to learn her language. You could feel enjoyment on my planet, and it does not have to be forever. It is simply the most intelligent option for our offspring.”
Jude blinked.
“Our what?”
“Our offspring,” Al repeated. “Is that the incorrect word?”
“Well. That would depend on what the fuck you’re trying to say.”
“Oh I feel such detestation toward English,” Al muttered to himself. To Jude, he said, “Ouroffspring. Children? That word is familiar, yes? Once our children hatch, they will be better off on—”
“No. Stop. Back up.Whatchildren?Hatch?What are you talking about, Al?” Jude clearly was feeling confusion, and Al was not much better off.
