“Right.”
“Ξ.A.kr’ξ??’p, we have brought you this,” Al’s mother said, reaching into the pocket of Corbin’s cut-off jeans and producing a small rectangular object. She handed it to Al, who beamed.
“My portable communication device! I feel gratitude, parents.”
“Wait, youactuallyhave an intergalactic cell phone?” Jude asked, incredulous. “Why the hell didn’t you bring that with you to begin with?”
Al shrugged. “I forgot.”
“You will stay in contact with us,” Al’s mom instructed as Jude resisted the urge to pull out his hair. “We will accomplish paperwork in the meantime.”
Jude’s eye twitched. “Paperwork forwhat?”
“We will allow you to stay on Earth with Human Jude,” she continued, giving Jude exactly zero answers, “and we will tell your siblings about your situation.” She clicked her tongue a moment and added hastily, “We will miss you, Ξ.A.kr’ξ??’p.”
“Not Ξ.A.kr’ξ??’p,” Al’s dad interjected. “He has discovered purpose now. He isAA.??’p’Zx.”
Jude wanted to ask what the hell that meant, but Al seemed so astonished by what had been said that it didn’t feel like the right time.
“Goodbye, Human Jude,” Al’s mother said. “We will put sight on each other again at a near point in the future.”
Al’s father nodded in agreement.
They both looked at Al, almost like they wanted to hug him, but refrained at the last moment, and together they raised their middle fingers up at Al and Jude.
“Goodbye,” Al’s dad said in parting, and led his wife out of the room.
Jude gave Al a few more moments to process what had just happened, but he was too curious to wait for long. “The name your dad just called you,” he said. “What did it mean?”
Al didn’t answer at first, and Jude worried he’d overstepped, but then Al looked at him, a small smile on his lips and glistening tears in his eyes.
“He called meAA.??’p’Zx,” he said in a voice wet with happiness. “In our language, it means ‘known.’”
24
Al
Summer came and went, and the season Jude referred to as both “autumn” and “fall” for some probably stupid English reason settled in, bringing with it cooler temperatures that Al did not feel appreciation for, even though Jude had told him he was lucky that he had crash-landed in the desert, because there were other places on Earth that “actually” got cold.
“Just wait until winter,” he had said. “Hopefully this year is mild. If we get any snow, you might change your mind about staying here.”
Al had, of course, told him this was a ridiculous statement. He would welcome freezing temperatures with open arms if it meant he was able to remain with Jude.
And remain with Jude he did.
Jude’s schooling had been put temporarily on hold to allow him to be with the eggs when they hatched, which meant Al was able to spend an increased amount of time with his love. At first, Al had felt worry that Jude would feel frustration at constantly being in Al’s presence, but their bond assured him this was not the case. Through it, Jude’s emotions were as transparent as they were intense—he felt elation to be with Al, and that did not change as the days passed. It gave Al all the certainty he needed to know he was truly loved.
During the transition from the pleasantness of summer to the chill of fall and autumn, Al kept himself busy by helping Jude and Ezra with tasks around the house. He learned about “cleaning,”—something Jude insisted upon with great urgency now that he had made his nest—and that the liquids used for cleaning, although appetizing in both smell and appearance, were not meant for human consumption. Once the house was suitably clean, Ezra taught him about home repair, which Al discovered his human form was quite good at. He was tall enough to reach even the highest light bulbs—a fact Jude and Ezra showed much appreciation and admiration for—and was dexterous enough with his fingers to pull up the ball of hairy slime that had been clogging the shower drain. Neither Ezra nor Jude taught Al to cook, although he was not disappointed by this, as he still felt fear of the toaster, but they did often ask for his assistance in rearranging the furniture. Their old couch was “heavy as shit,” but Al had been human long enough to know it was much heavier than that—shit did not weigh very much at all—but he managed the relocation of the couch anyway.
In addition to the living room, Al had also seen to the rearrangement of the bedroom he shared with Jude to better accommodate their little family-to-be. Ezra had very kindly provided them with a basketlike piece of furniture he referred to as a “bassinet,” saying, “I got this for you guys because it freaks me out that you sleep with those eggs in bed with you. What if you roll over and accidentally squash one?” and despite Al’s insistence to the contrary, Jude had felt such intense fear after hearing Ezra’s speech that he had moved his nest from their bed into the bassinet immediately. The change had not been easy on him—parents of Darvrokian eggs really did do better sleeping in their nest with their unborn offspring—so Al had helped by moving the furniture in the room so the bassinet could be placed right up against the bed, where Jude would have immediate access to it at all times.
Al could not say he felt enjoyment at having their nest disrupted, but he did feel enjoyment for the reclaimed space on the mattress, which gave him more room to cuddle up with Jude.
Room he was taking advantage of that very morning, as they both roused from their nightly unconsciousness together. Jude, barely alert, was on his side facing the bassinet, drowsily adjusting the blankets surrounding the eggs to ensure they were all receiving adequate warmth, and Al was tucked behind him, holding him loosely as he watched through mostly closed eyes. It was during moments like these, in which Jude acted on his parental instincts, that Al felt affection for him to the highest degree. It was ridiculous that Jude had ever once felt certainty that he would not be a good father, as he was already excellent at it, and their offspring had not yet arrived.
For no reason besides feeling the desire to do so, Al began threading his fingers through Jude’s hair, which was a silly mess of floof flattened on one side from his nightly unconsciousness. Al felt love for all parts of Jude, but his hair, which had captivated him from the moment they’d first met, continued to be his favorite part of all.
Jude leaned back slightly into Al’s touch and made a humming sound that reminded Al of Buttons when she purred. Unlike with Buttons, however, something stirred inside of Al upon hearing Jude make that noise, bringing him to push Jude’s hair up so that he could press his lips to the base of Jude’s neck.
