Someone had seen enough value in him to want to be there?—
Ezra’s heart gave a little pang, and he glanced to his mother, who stood alone.
—Enough for now, at least.
One of the existing cracks on the middle egg spread rapidly, causing Ezra to bury the thought as he zeroed in on what was happening before him. The crack met a hairline fissure, and when the egg next wiggled, the whole chunk of shell fell off, making it easy work for the little aliens within to break through what remained. They tumbled into the bassinet together and lay there on their backs, staring up at everyone with big eyes.
“Holy shit, man,” Ezra whispered, practically speechless, as they emerged. They were perfect—or at least, they looked to be. Admittedly, he wasn’t overly familiar with howtrue Darvrokian babies should look, and they were well and truly little Darvrokians, not a single hint of anything human about them, from their sandy scales down to their four little arms.
Moving almost involuntarily, he plucked one twin out of the bassinet, while Titan grabbed the other. He brought the baby close to his chest and peered down at them. They were three quarters Darvrokian, so it made sense that they closely resembled Titan, but Ezra thought that their forehead ridge was the same shape as his own strong brow line, even if no hairs grew from it. They blinked their giant eyes up at him, their irises immediately turning a rosy pink, and through their direct contact, Ezra felt an outpouring of affection being funneled into him.
He was certain the baby could feel the same in reverse.
“Their birth sex is female,” Titan announced, his eyes the same shade of pink.
“Yes, but what of the symbol? I do not recognize it.”
After she spoke, everyone turned to look at Mrs. Leon, who was hovering behind the group, standing as far back as she could while still being able to see the show. She was looking at the first set of twins with affection, but also mild concern.
Ezra looked back at the twins to see what had her so baffled, and noticed the markings immediately.
“I also do not recognize this symbol,” Titan muttered, brow furrowing as he looked from one twin to the other.
“That’s because it’s not Darvrokian,” Ezra said with a little laugh. “It’s an Earth symbol.”
The twins, who were otherwise completely identical, each had a matching marking so dark, it was almost black, on opposite sides of their chests. It resembled a sideways figure eight.
“Oh my god,” Corbin whispered in awe. “Your kids have basic bitch tattoos.”
If looks could kill, Ezra’s glare would have sliced Corbin right in half.
Titan was slower on the uptake. He frowned and said, “I do not understand.”
“?.Λ.yz’Ο, those words are strange to hear from you. I do not believe I have heard you voice a lack of knowledge before,” Mrs. Leon said softly, tilting her head and regarding her son with an inquisitive look.
Titan, clearly still not ready to let his parents into his good graces, even if his mother had, somewhat, come to his defense during dinner, did not even spare her a glance as he said, “I have come to learn that there is more value in accepting a lack of knowledge with grace than pretending to have answers to all things for the sake of seeming intelligent.”
Mrs. Leon was quiet for a tense moment, then murmured, “This is wise.”
Uninterested in continuing the conversation, Titan set his sights on Ezra. “What meaning does this ‘basic bitch’ symbol embody?”
“Okay, it’s not a—you know what, never mind. Not important. It means infinity.”
“Infinity,” Titan muttered, like he was trying the word on for size. “As if to suggest… infinite possibilities.”
A wide, unbidden grin spread across Ezra’s face. “Yeah. Exactly. The world’s… or, I guess, the universe is their oyster.”
Titan blinked. “The universe is not a mollusk?—”
“You know it was a turn of phrase, man. It’s okay to be knowledgeable about some things, damn.”
“Perhaps,” Titan said, smiling shyly as he looked down at the twin in his arms. “But perhaps I also enjoy listening to your explanations, my wise, intelligent, resilient, sweet Ezra.”
“Barf central,” Corbin and Jude muttered in unison, and Ezra’s heart soared.
It was less than fifteen minutes later when the egg on the right hatched, and two identical boys tumbled out, blinking in confusion and overwhelm as they took in the breadth of their new surroundings.
“Aw, more basic bitches,” Corbin cooed, while also grimacing slightly as one of the twin girls—mobile and eager to explore already—climbed his leg like an iguana.
