A look of genuine confusion crossed Titan’s face.
“You know what? Don’t even worry about it,” Ezra said with another laugh. “Just come here and kiss me until I pass out.”
Titan didn’t squabble over those terms.
One kiss at a time, he agreed, and agreed, and agreed.
30
Titan
“Focus your energy on our offspring,” Titan said, his hands on top of Ezra’s, which were laid flat upon the shell of one of their eggs. They were seated on the bed, backs supported by the headboard while their eggs were bundled in a protective cocoon of blankets before them. Several days had passed since they had been laid and their shells had somewhat hardened, but they would remain fragile throughout the incubation period and, as such, had to be treated with care. “Do not consider the shell of the egg, or you will unintentionally put up a mental barrier that will prevent you from feeling the full breadth of emotions coming from within.”
“I can’t figure out like, what part of my brain to use,” Ezra replied, furrowing his brow in mild frustration. Under his touch, the egg’s colors began to swirl in a kaleidoscope of sweet pastels.
“The focusing part.”
“Yes, I get that, but what part is the focusing part?”
“I am unaware of the anatomy of the human brain, but if you wish for me to research this for you, I will request an audience with your omnipotent knowledge provider.”
“No, man, I told you, that’s not what?—”
“Siri!” Titan said loudly. His cellular device on the nearby bedside table pinged as it activated a direct line of communication with the strange but useful being. “Where is the focusing part located in the human brain?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.”
“I am requesting knowledge about the anatomy of the human brain so that my lover may be able to telepathically connect with our newly delivered offspring. Will you please inform us of what part of his brain he needs to engage in order to properly focus?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.”
“I said?—”
“Hey Siri, shut up,” Ezra interrupted, and the icon on Titan’s cellular device’s screen indicating Siri was listening disappeared. “I told you,” he said, now speaking to Titan, “she’s not our all-knowing god.”
“I am aware of this. You have multiple gods. You also worship the being known as Alexa.”
“No, that’s not what I—look, stop asking the internet about stuff and just show me yourself. What good would looking up human anatomy do for me, anyway? The part of my brain I gotta figure out how to use sure as hell isn’t human.”
Titan was stunned to silence.
“I suppose this is correct,” he conceded after an awkward beat. “It did not occur to me that the mapping of your brain might be as different as the rest of your anatomy.”
“Yeah, I’ve been kind of trying not to think too hard about it, if I’m being honest. Like… what the fuck am I, you know?”
“We have been over this in the past, and my answer remains the same—you are Ezra, and being Ezra is the best and most miraculous thing that you can be. There is no creature on Earth, Darvrok 6, or any other planet who compares to you.”
Ezra averted his eyes, visibly flushed.
“Flirt,” he muttered.
“I only speak the truth. If you need evidence of your greatness, you need only look here before us.” Titan nodded at the eggs. “Look at what you have accomplished. Six offspring bound within three mere shells, a feat so rare and admirable, it shall be memorialized by our best and brightest researchers.”
Ezra did not reply, although his cheeks did redden the way they did when he was having bashfulness, and he did not appear to be displeased—merely uncertain. He removed his hand from the middle egg, apparently taking a break from their attempts at telepathy for the time being, and examined the clutch with a thoughtful gaze, lingering for an increment on each one.
“What will they look like? When they hatch, I mean. Al and Jude’s kids look Darvrokian, and their DNA is only half alien. But then, I’m only half alien, too, and I look human. If my weird alien superpowers weren’t starting to emerge, you wouldn’t even know I was anything less than your run-of-the-mill Earthling, which is strange, isn’t it? I remember Jude telling me that Darvrokian traits were dominant, which means I should have come out four-armed and covered in scales.”
“I have pondered this question as well,” Titan admitted. “The conclusion that I have drawn is that since you were conceived with the standard, unmodified ovum of a human female, your human DNA has taken precedence. Had your mother been male, and her ova a result of protandry following exposure to her Darvrokian mate, you likely would have been born resembling a Darvrokian, as the ovum itself would never have existed had it not been for Darvrokian influence. I therefore conclude that since our clutch has been formed as a result of protandry, the likelihood of Darvrokian traits overriding human ones is considerably greater.”
