Humans Are Encountered

Crushes

Zork'ak found xemself in the medical wing again, Steve lying in the bed this time. Wren pulled xem to the side when xe entered, her 'hand,' what Adam told xem it was called, was wrapped around Zork'ak's extremity, not bothered by the five talons wrapped around her skin. Zork'ak struggled to intake breath as xe watched the way Wren touched xem without fear of xer weaponized body.

"Hello, Wren," Zork'ak said when she let go of xem. She leaned into Zork'ak, and xe leaned over, wrapping xer extremities around her. "Steve is hurt."

She looked up at xem. Zork'ak had already been inspected for any bodily dysfunctions, but xer body was struggling to provide accurate atmospheric intake.

"Yes, Steve is hurt, but he's going to be fine."

"But we are here to direct our attention at Steve, correct?"

She still had not removed her extremities completely from Zork'ak's midsection. "He'll be fine. The doctors have set his leg and cleaned his wounds. Adam gave some blood to replenish some of what Steve had lost."

"How was he harmed?"

Wren looked towards Steve. "They went to the collection site, and Kace was trying to dig out a growth on the wall to examine it. It causes the structure integrity to fail, and pieces fell on him." Zork'ak would speak to Knycuz when xe left the medical wing. "He's okay, though."

"This is optimal. Why is it that you are embracing me if Steve is the one who needs attention?"

"Well, I know Steve is okay. I was worried about you, and now I'm glad to know that you are okay, too."

Zork'ak smiled down at Wren. She was what Adam called a 'foot' shorter than Zork'ak, who was short for a Klyl. Xe were barely taller than Adam, who had explained on earth he measured at 6'2." Klyls did not measure height. "Why would you worry that I was unwell?"

Zork'ak noticed that Wren's eyes were the light blue color of xer skin. There was even a hint of green mixed into her eye similar to the opaque green scales xe had. "Knycuz said xe would send work to you that Steve was hurt. Xe said you were at the poison experimentation lab that was designed for the bio weapon we gave you to test and produce similar tools for protection."

"This is true."

"Well, if you were being tested for poison experimentation, I was worried."

Zork'ak huffed a small laugh. These human expressions were becoming natural to xem. "I was testing your material. The lead examiner needed to determine if the liquid could harm us within our pores. I was the most comfortable with your research and volunteered to test it."

"Zor," Wren cocked her head to the side, "we only designed that biotech for the outside of your scales. We did not test the chemical makeup for your internal compounds."

"Well," Zork'ak looked to where Steve sat, talking to Adam, "it does not have adverse effects."

Wren wrapped Zork'ak in another embrace. "You could've been hurt."

There felt like warmth and apprehension was spreading through Zork'ak like when xe ate those peppers and xe were in danger. Xe pulled away from Wren, needing to speak to Adam.

He ushered Zork'ak into the hallway, still keeping an eye on Steve. "What's up?"

"I have been experiencing difficulties with my inhalation and temperature regulation of my midsection."

Adam looked at xem. "I'm sorry, Zor. I'm not medically certified."

"No, I was examined last night. There are no explanations for these episodes. They occur when I am too close to Wren. Do you humans secrete a gaseous hormone that could affect a Klyl?"

Adam looked as if he was going to laugh. "Zor, it sounds like you like Wren. It's hard to breathe around her? And sometimes you feel all warm in your chest?"

"Well, yes. I like all you, though."

"No, this is different." His eyes were back on Steve, who was combing his extremities through his sandy blonde hair. It was growing long enough to brush into his eyes. Xe had seen Adam move the strands out of Steve's face before. "When you like someone, you want to make them happy. You want to spend more time with them than anyone else. You want to protect them from getting hurt and be there when they do. You want to know them better than anyone else does, and you want them to do all these things for you, too."

Zork'ak watched the way Adam's eyes glistened as he watched Steve. His deep brown eyes did not move away from Steve's face, who was looking towards Jessica. Adam sighed deeply, running his extremities over his shorn, brown hair. "You like Steve." Zork'ak did not ask it as a question so much as a statement of observation.

Adam's eyes widened. "Hey, shhh." He looked over his shoulder, but no one was watching them. "Don't, don't say that."

"But you do?" Zork'ak observed as Adam glanced towards Steve again. "You feel all of those things?"

Adam nodded. "I do, but you can't tell anyone else."

Zork'ak opened xer mouth to ask why this was information that must be withheld, but xe shut it. Xe was watching Wren, her pale pink lips stretched in a grin as she talked to Steve and Jessica. She was very thin, even in her face, her ears small and her nose sharp. She had white-blonde hair that was pushed back on the top, the sides shaved short. Her skin was just as pale as her short hair. "I do like Wren."

Xe did not fully understand how to experience emotions that were not logical or efficient yet. Xe were still learning what each feeling meant. This, though, was a conversation that Zork'ak asked Adam to tell no one else. A thing called a 'crush' is what Adam said it was. Adam kept using the word 'want' or 'desire,' words that the Klyls had heard but had yet to determine the true definition. Zork'ak knew what these words truly felt like now, but xe could not report it. Xe could not report xer feelings, oh how human xe sounded, because Klyls did not have feelings. Xe could sense danger or use logic but never emotions that navigated decisions. Zork'ak was now hiding research to protect xer feelings. Oh, what one human has done to completely change xem.