No Place Like Home #2
“Bye.” Dex waggled his tongue unfairly as he ducked out of the flat.
Cheeks hot as an oven, Cya returned to their bedroom and finished putting away their clothes. Then they headed to the kitchen, where Hemersyn was busy throwing together some sandwiches.
“Alright?” the Avia asked, smiling at them over his shoulder.
Crossing the kitchen, Cya slipped an arm around his waist, tucking themself into his side. “Yes. I rather think I am.”
He cooed happily, the feathers of his crest ruffling as he pecked the top of their head. “Come, my dearest heart. Let’s have lunch.”
Fighting the sudden burn of tears at the endearment, they nodded and helped him carry the sandwiches to the balcony.
Their whole life, Cya had believed they would never know a parent’s love, but they’d simply been searching in the wrong places.
Or, rather, they’d simply been looking to the wrong people.
Hemersyn had loved them from the start, even at their worst, at their most selfish and vain.
They’d never had to earn it. He encouraged them to be brave and kind, to become the best version of themself, yes, but his love had never wavered. Not once.
They didn’t know what they’d done in a past life to warrant the gift that was Hemersyn McKhaw, but they were determined to never take him for granted. He was their best friend, he was their father, and by gods, they loved him so.
That afternoon, Hemersyn and Cya rode the train to Pride where they met the cafe crew at the station.
Since Quin’s due date was rapidly approaching and her belly was as big as a beach ball, Cya wasn’t surprised she and Glyma hadn’t come.
Nearly everyone else, however, was attending to support Dex’s vie for the dyscus championship title.
Yve, wearing a knock-off Pride University jersey, gave Cya a big hug, cooing in their ear when they hugged her back immediately. “Sleepover next weekend, right?”
“I’m looking forward to it,” they said honestly, and the Avia trilled.
Willow chatted with Bryce and Zef as the Mantodea stood tucked under the human’s arm.
Oliver and Liel, fiancés now, were laughing at whatever ridiculous story Gem was sharing as Rusty pinched the bridge of his nose and chittered uncomfortably.
Enfys leaned over Toni’s shoulder to peer down at his phone as he scrolled through pictures of his nephew and nieces.
“Little Toni’s walking now. She’s such a little monster, getting into everything,” the Elas said fondly. “Drives Jude crazy, trying to keep up with her.”
“She’s cute enough to make up for it, though,” Jude said with a kiss to his biceps, and Toni preened.
Abi stood at the fringes of the group, filmy eyes narrowed at Tad as the Anura grinned chillingly up at him. To save the poor Ophys from a possible fright-induced episode, Cya approached cautiously.
“Hello, Tad,” they said, and Tad turned away from Abi to glare up at them as if they’d interrupted something important.
“Why are you talking to me?” she demanded.
“Uh, just making polite conversation, I suppose,” they said, and the Anura scowled deeply.
“Boring,” she sneered, immediately turning to waddle away. After only a few steps, she paused and fished a tiny key out of her bodysuit pocket, tossing it at Cya. “Oh, I borrowed this.”
Entirely confused, they studied the key that looked exactly like the one to their storage unit. “Sorry, what?”
“It’s a key,” Tad said flatly.
“Yes, I see that. Um, a key to what, exactly?” they asked, genuinely afraid of the answer.
“Your storage unit,” she said, that eerie grin spreading over her face again. “Heard your parents are uppity bitches, and uppity bitches deserve to get what’s coming to ’em.”
Horrified, they held the key at arm’s length. “Dear gods, have you stuffed their bodies in my storage locker?”
“What? No! I broke into their house and stole your harp.” Her face scrunched in indignation. “Hiding bodies in a storage locker; do I look like an amateur to you?”
“Um, no?” they said—er, asked.
“Fucking insulting. And after I did you a favor,” Tad harrumphed, crossing her arms over her squat torso.
The entirety of her admission finally registered, and Cya blinked in bewilderment. “Wait, you smuggled out my harp?”
“Allegedly,” she said dismissively as she tottered away.
Cya gaped after the retreating Anura. They glanced down at the key Tad had given them, then to Abi, then back to Tad who’d sidled up to Zef, accepting the head-pat the Mantodea absently gave her.
Stupefied, Cya dropped the key to their storage unit—the key they hadn’t even noticed was gone—into their purse. “Did Tad just do something nice for me?”
The Ophys snuffled the quietest laugh and shrugged. “Don’t reckon I could say either way.”
On their way to campus, their group filled half the tram, and Cya blinked in surprise when Abi, not Yve or Hemersyn, slid into the seat beside them. He glanced at them from the corner of his eye as he snapped one of his armbands against his wrist in a sharp, rhythmic slap, slap, slap.
As the tram lurched into traffic, he unlocked his phone, then held it out for them to take. Hesitantly, they did, glancing down at his screen. It was a web-page advertisement for a workshop space in Lust.
“I heard you needed a workshop for your jewelry,” Abi said, voice soft, accent thick and drawling.
“I’ve been renting out a real tiny room in that same building, ’cause I can’t afford nothing bigger by myself.
Figured we could split the space, split the rent?
If you wanted. It’s no big deal if, you know, it ain’t what you’re looking for. ”
He snapped his armbands quicker and avoided eye contact, his pink, hairless tail curled tightly around one leg. Black, fuzzy ears flicked, and his pointed nose twitched, whiskers trembling.
“Wow, I’m… I’m a bit speechless, to be honest,” they said.
“You can think about it. That space has been empty a while. Imagine it’ll stay empty a bit longer.”
“How did you…” They drifted off as the Ophys sent them a brief, wry smile.
“Just ’cause I don’t talk much, don’t mean I ain’t listening.”
With a nod, they scrolled through the pictures of the workshop. It was shockingly spacious with lots of natural light and windows they could open to let in the breeze. If they split the rent, Cya could probably afford it.
“I need to check my budget,” they said, a bit grudgingly, and the corner of his mouth lifted again. “But this would be… Well, it would be just wonderful. Thank you, Abi.”
His shoulders wobbled in a quasi-shrug as he took his phone back. “It ain’t completely altruistic. I benefit too.”
“Still, it’s very thoughtful. Can you send me the link, please? I’d like Hemersyn to see it.”
“Sure. We can walk through it together, if you like. And you can bring your dad too.”
His casual inference that Hemersyn was Cya’s father made them almost as happy as the possibility of having a workshop again.
“I’d like that very much.”
“Cool.”
Curiosity piqued, they asked, “Do you make jewelry too?”
He shook his head, and when he didn’t elaborate further, they nodded awkwardly and looked out the window.
Knuckles brushed their arm a minute later, and they turned back to find the Ophys offering them his phone again.
It was open to a photo album full of glass sculptures.
Some were more realistic, others entirely abstract shapes.
The pieces were made of vivid color and glass of varying opacities.
“Deities, Abi, it’s beautiful.”
Ducking his head, he squeaked in pleasure, his mouth spreading in a shy smile. “Thanks.”
“Where did you learn this?”
“Grandad taught me.”
“It’s lovely. You’re very talented.” They admired his work as he released another delighted chirp. “I imagine you do need more work space for this.”
“The furnaces make my current room real warm.” He tucked his phone away in his pocket again. “It’ll make our workshop pretty hot.”
As a Sypent, Cya ran cold, so heat never bothered them. “I don’t mind. My rock tumblers can be loud.”
“I don’t mind,” he echoed, and their tail rattled gently in excitement.
The rest of the tram ride passed in comfortable silence, and by the time they arrived at the university, Abi had relaxed into his seat enough that his clothed elbow pressed to theirs. It shouldn’t have felt like a win, but it did all the same.
The P.U. campus was teeming with people, everyone heading to the main stadium, where the field was larger and grander than the one the team trained on.
Wearing Dex’s jersey with his number and last name, Cya led their large procession of supporters to a spot on the bleachers, close to the front, that Dex had reserved for them.
Ellyn and Jasmyn arrived a few minutes before the game started, and Cya scooted over so Jasmyn could sit beside them as Ellyn settled between them and Hemersyn.
An announcer boomed a welcome to everyone in the stands, then started introducing the first-string players.
When it was Dex’s turn, Cya—along with everyone else in their group—stood and cheered for him.
Walking backwards, he waved and fist-pumped in their direction.
He even blew Cya a kiss, making them blush fiercely, before he turned and jogged to meet the rest of his team waiting on the field.
The opposing team from Lust University was full of tall, burly Mammylions and Ungulyts, a worthy adversary indeed. P.U. won the coin toss, and the handler chose to take the dysc first. The defense sat on the sidelines as Dex and the rest of the offensive players took to the field.
With a piercing whistle, the game began.
The first half was intense, each team taking the lead, only for the other team to score and tie them up. Dex scored twice, Lynd three times. The third offensive runner—Cya didn’t know their name—scored once. Still, by half-time, it was tied up 6-6.
“I’ve never cared about sports before,” Gem said as he held a large bucket of popcorn that Rusty, Toni, Jude, and Enfys were all picking at. “But this is kinda fun.”
“It’s the crowd energy,” Toni said.