Cuddlefish - 7. 07

Zane grew increasingly nervous as he helped the Sepida into clothes for the first time. He didn't bother with any underwear. He opted for a pair of soft, drawstring shorts instead. They reached past the petite alien's knees to the point that they appeared like capris. His smallest tank top made up his shirt and the human felt as if he were dressing a child when he finally managed to get the hoodie on him.

"There...this will make it easier to hide should anyone get too close of a glance," Zane voiced aloud. Half of him was frightened for Pip, should they be caught. The other half wanted to show him a good time. "This isn't a date," he whispered to himself as if to remind himself of it.

"A date?" Pipolphi said guilelessly, his pupil-less, liquid turquoise eyes gazing up at the human, wriggling his body as though trying to settle the cloth more comfortably.

"A date is when an established couple go out to have fun together or to spend time with one another," Zane responded as he tried to explain. "The couple spends time figuring out where to go and what to do...but, a date is not supposed to be dangerous like what we're about to do."

"Mayhaps, discretion is the better part of valor?" Pip asked uncertainly, wringing the hem of the shirt in his small hands. The Sepida's skin lost its human coloring and rolled in orange waves.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," the human insisted with a smile. "You should really peek around at this place before you leave, in case you never return. Besides, there are some very delicious things I want you to taste."

"Chocolate is better than sex?" Pip said, parroting a phrase that his computer had downloaded into him from some movie. He didn't know what chocolate was, but the bits floating in his head told him it was something to eat. The Sepida couldn't imagine any food being better than sex with Zane. The food must either be very good or his human was a sensual genius. Pip would believe it. The human was just that sexy.

Pipolphi smiled, the orange fading to the buttery yellows of curiosity with small bursts of happy green. He went on his tip-toes and tilted his head up, inviting a kiss from the much taller man. The petite Sepida would have to climb Zane to get a kiss if the human didn't bend down to him. Not that Pip would have minded climbing Zane. It sounded like a delightful activity.

Zane chuckled as he leaned down to press a firm kiss to the Sepida's lips. "You'll soon find out," he admitted. "Just be careful of your color changes while we're out," he warned as he motioned towards the shift in colors displayed on Pip's visible hands and lower legs. "Are you ready?"

Pipolphi nodded. The yellows and greens were chased away by a human tan. When it got to the long, thin tentacles on his head, the color became a warm brown. Up close, the Sepida didn't look quite human. There was something in the curve of his cheek, the bones of his face, that weren't quite right for a human. Adding the huge blue-green eyes with no pupils made him look like some fae creature. Lovely, enchanting, but not human.

If no one looked close, however, it would probably work.

Pip held his arms out at his side. "I'm ready for the ball?" he asked.

Zane took hold of one of Pip's hands and led him out towards the dock, where he had a jet-ski ready secured on a platform. He lowered the jet-ski into the water and mounted it, urging the Sepida to clamber on behind him. He wrapped Pip's arms around him.

"We're going to be moving a little fast across the surface of the water," the human warned Pip. "I need you to hold onto me securely, ok?"

"Hold like when hide?" Pip asked, squeezing tight like a clinging baby monkey and nuzzling his face between Zane's shoulder blades.

The human gulped hard as he gently covered one of the Sepida's hands with his own. "Oh, how you make me want to take a longer route…" he mumbled as he started up the motor and the two of them zipped off towards the main land.

Pip squeaked and clung tighter, his thighs tightening and his head tentacles drew forward to wrap around Zane's shoulders and upper arms. The Sepida struggled to hold onto his coloring, his skin tingling as he fought the inclinations of his chromatophores and iridophores. As the moments stretched and Pip didn't die, a wild grin pulled his lips. He burbled in delight, not caring that the wind stung his eyes or yanked on his clothes, making them feel even more uncomfortable. It felt like flying.

Zane carefully docked the ski jet and helped Pip dismount it, making sure to readjust the clothing so that the Sepida was mostly covered once more. "Are you ok?" He asked in concern.

Pip stood there, legs wobbling, feeling as boneless as his other form. Zane held out his arms, ready to catch the little alien if he fell. Pipolphi looked out at Zane from the abundant folds of the hoodie. Pip's face was shadowed, his eyes striking and luminous, the sight taking Zane's breath. Then the Sepida moved, smiling wide and flinging himself into Zane's arms and hugging tight. He let go with one arm to point enthusiastically at the jet-ski.

"These go to eleven!" Pipolphi chirped, still grinning like a loon.

"Yes, something like that," Zane responded with a chuckle. He led them both over to the street, where two rows of shops were lined on either side. On weekends, the area was full of everyone from tourists to locals milling about. But, on a weekday, there weren't too many people around. "Let's go here, first." He gently urged as he took hold of Pip's hand once more and led him towards a cart with an umbrella overhead. The vendor sold the best snow cones Zane ever had.

"Two piraguas please," Zane ordered. "One strawberry and one pineapple."

"Yes, sir!" The aged man behind the cart responded as he promptly piled two paper cones high with shaved ice and then doused them both with the different flavored syrups before handing them over to Zane.

The tall human paid the vendor and then held the snow cones in front of Pip. "Which one do you want to try first?" He asked.

Pip leaned forward, sniffing a brightly colored contents that looked like a mountain over the little paper cone. He leaned back, rubbing his chilled nose and pointed at the pinkish-red ice.

"The cold never bothered me, anyway," Pip announced, looking excited about the snack.

Zane grinned, giving the petite alien a kiss on the cheek before taking a bite out of his pineapple snow cone. "Don't eat too much at once, it's cold."

Pip mimicked Zane, taking his own bite. Every head in the area turned when Pipolphi let out a happy, if somewhat loud, trill.

"Cold! I like cold!" Pip looked thoughtful. "Mmm, not better than sex."

The man at the cart snorted.

The gymnast couldn't help but grin. "Try some of this one, too," he prompted.

"You share cone of snow?" Pip beamed. "Trusty!"

The Sepida took a small, delicate bite of the pineapple flavored ice, his eyes on Zane. Pipolphi gave a delighted burble and shoved his snow cone in Zane's face.

"I trusty!" Pip urged. "Let it snow, Zay."

Zane took a bite out of Pip's snow cone in return, pleased that the Sepida seemed to enjoy it. "Let's walk around while we finish eating these," he suggested.

"Okily-dokily," Pip said happily, taking another bite of his yummy snack.

The alien's feet were bare, which kept them from going into some of the shops. He had the shirt, as oversized as it was, but no shoes. Therefore, no service. Zane found a little stand that sold sunglasses, flip flops, keychains, and hats. Even the smallest women's flip flops were too large. Pip ended up with a pair of rainbow flip flops with hearts on the straps. The alien cooed at them happily, wiggling his toes. It felt funny. Pip adored them. When they were away from prying eyes, the Sepida wanted to see if he could turn himself rainbow with ruby hearts. He wondered if Zane would like it.

With the sandals on his feet, Pip and Zane were able to walk into the shops. Pipolphi saw humans of all shapes, sizes, and colors. He was fascinated by the children. The adults were amazing to the alien as well.

"Different. All different," Pip whispered to Zane as a group of adults walked past. There were both men and women. It was a bit difficult for Pip to tell the men from the women, at first. They all looked so different, it was distracting. Zane gave him some tips. Most women had breasts, which Sepida women also had, but Pip wasn't accustomed to seeing them covered in clothes and the size variation in human breasts was confusing. Sepida women didn't all look alike, but the differences were more in coloring than shape and size. Men were the same. Nubra had plenty of variation in size and shape, but Pip thought of the Nubra more as individuals. It was common to think of an unfamiliar Nubra simply as that, a Nubra he didn't know well. Pip would notice the person's coloring and features, but there wasn't much thought about gender unless their genitalia was eye-catching.

Pip had a thought that it was funny that with his people, who ran around naked all the time, he thought about gender less than with the humans who seemed to compulsively cover themselves to varying degrees. It made Pipolphi peer around him, sniff the air, then look up into sky with its shining sun.

"Wind, sky, bright in sky," Pip pointed at the golden circle of the sun above them. "Danger? Hide from in clothes? Will hurt? Die?"

"Oh, yes, we wear clothes to protect from the elements. If we're in the sun too long without protection, we end up sick from either dehydration or skin cancer…" Zane explained. "So, more 'hurt' than 'die.' And that reminds me! Let me know when you need more water."

"Such a nice boy," Pip said, reaching up to pat the human's cheek in a grandmotherly way. It made Zane laugh, with the little alien smiling in front of him in the taller man's oversized clothes and rainbow flip flops. The gymnast's heart gave a squeeze in his chest and he took a deep breath. He was falling hard and fast for his unexpected guest.

"Water?" Pip said, licking dry lips. "Please?"

"Yes, hold on," the human replied as he rushed towards a fridge and bought them a couple of water bottles. When he returned, a slight blush was still visible on his face. As much as he tried to will the sight of the Sepida's tongue licking his lips, the image kept replaying in his head. He opened one of the bottles and handed it to Pip before taking a sip from his own.

The Sepida took an eager gulp and nearly choked on the ice cold liquid. He'd expected the cold from the snow cone. The water at Zane's had been cold from the pitcher in the fridge, but this was even colder. If he hadn't had right control of his coloring, he would have flashed white with surprise. Pip blinked at the bottle, his head tentacles reacting, lifting the hood slightly. Zane didn't get a chance to ask what was wrong before Pip burbled softly and took another gulp that made his teeth tingle and his tentacles rub against the fabric of his hood.

"Mmmmm," Pip hummed happily.

The other man let out a sigh of relief. For a moment, he thought that the water had been contaminated or worse. "Let's go do a little more sightseeing, shall we?" he prompted as he took hold of the Sepida's hand again and the two of them walked out of the store.

People didn't seem to pay much mind to Pip. If they thought it odd he was buried in clothes that drowned and hid him, no one said anything about it or looked at him overly long. People seemed to see what they wanted to see, what they expected. No one expected a cute little camouflaged alien in borrowed clothes and kid's sandals. It was a huge relief to Zane. And he'd only had to warn Pip twice that he was turning green and once that the Sepida's tentacles were trying to escape the hood.

Pip tugged at Zane's hand, trying to pull him forward. The tall human allowed himself to be led, a soft smile on his face at how excited Pip served to get about nearly everything. It was like seeing the world through new eyes. And the alien wanted to know about all of it.

What is it? What does it do? Can I touch it?

The last question was important to Pip. Sepida were an intensely tactile species and just as curious. Zane thought it was a sense as important as sight or hearing to his alien. Pip seemed to need to feel things. And when the Sepida wasn't trailing those slender fingers over all the new sights he could reach, Pip was touching Zane. It was nothing that could be considered inappropriate in public, but the petite alien seemed to touch and pet Zane without even realizing it.

"What is it?" Pip asked happily, looking at a large window that was actually the clear wall of a large fish tank. Pip pressed his face to the glass, still holding Zane's hand.

"It's an aquarium," Zane explained. "It's a place where injured sea animals are treated before they're returned to the ocean. Would you like to go in?"

Pip didn't really understand, except for the last sentence.

"Let us in!" the Sepida chirped and nodded, pressing on the glass and running his fingers over the edges as though looking for a way to open it. The gymnast laughed and led Pip to the entrance.

Once inside, Zane paid for their admission and led the Sepida further in. Many sea animals were seen through the glass. The human noted several different species of seahorses, rays, octopi…

"Sepida?" Pip squeaked, scurrying over to a massive tank along one wall.

He peered inside, talking to himself in his own language. There was a diver inside, a group of cuttlefish bobbing around him. They looked a bit like squishy, red-brown footballs with a fun on each side that looked like a diaphanous, waving fringe. The heads were blocky, with wide eyes holding w-shaped pupils. Most had their tentacles held together or slightly splayed.

The diver held up a large card with a symbol that was hard to make out from their angle. All the cuttlefish turned bluish-black, swam upward, then quickly returned to the diver. He gave each of them a small fish, which was quickly grabbed and devoured. When the group had settled again, another card was held up. This time, they flashed white and swam in a circle before returning for their reward.

Zane glanced at the large sign next to the tank.

GIANT CUTTLEFISH: SEPIA APAMA

In smaller letters, it explained that these cuttlefish were rescued from poachers wanting to sell them as pets. Circumstances prevented them from returning to the wild and had been given to the small island's aquarium to care for. The animals were taking part in a university-sponsored research project exploring their intelligence. Then it talked a bit about their natural environment and habits.

"They are called cuttlefish, Pip," Zane pointed out. "They have only one form, the form they are currently in. Though similar, they are not Sepida."

"Had worried they sick and stuck in the slammer, the big house, up the river, the pokey…" Pipolphi pressed his face back to the glass. "The crowbar hotel." The Sepida spoke softly, cooing to the cuttlefish in his musical language, before looking back to Zane. "Not sick? Not bad?"

"No, on the contrary, they're taking care of them here at the aquarium," Zane explained with a smile. "They even have a new job."

"What is job?" Pip cocked his head. "Workin' nine to five? What a way to make a livin'?"

"In our world, we began exchanging goods through trading from one area to another. One food or resource was exchanged for another from region to region. A job is work that we put in for a mutual exchange," Zane tried his best to elaborate. "For example, the cuttlefish are being cared for by the aquarium staff...in exchange for that care, they participate in a research project for students. Did you notice that after every movement they performed with cards, they were fed?"

"Like snow cone." Pip nodded. "Good." The alien hugged his human around the middle. "Thank you for explain me, kind sir." He smiled up at the big man. "See more the things?"

"Yeah, let's keep going," Zane agreed. "There are many more fish to see."

The gymnast had been through the aquarium several times. It wasn't big or fancy. It was clean, but the floors were simple, polished concrete. The whole place could have used a new coat of paint. But the glass of the tanks were clear and sparkling, the creatures within them as comfortable as they could be made to be. The island was between tourist rushes, leaving them mostly alone in the cool dimness where the light came mostly from the tanks on display, set into the walls.

Pip went from one to another and sometimes back again. He cooed, trilled, and made clicking noises interspersed with his alien language and movie-based English. The Sepida was amazed at the creatures he saw that were similar to some on his planet. The alien learned a new phrase: convergent evolution, which explained how animals from completely different solar systems could end up so similar. Pip was especially taken with a small tank, tucked into a corner wall, filled with tiny seahorses. There was no creature he knew of from his home like the odd little animals.

Zane was delighted, enchanted by the sparkle in Pipolphi's strange, expressive eyes.

They came to a place in the corridor that split several ways and Pip seemed to choose a path at random, leading his human by the hand. They were in the middle of the room when Zane sensed something was wrong. Pip's small fingers gripped Zane's tighter and the human felt a shudder wrack his lover's smaller body. When Zane looked down, every inch of the Sepida had turned a terrified ebony, as though Pip had been dipped in ink.

"Pip? What's wrong?" Zane questioned, concerned. "What is it?"

"Hasserack," the alien said in a hissing whisper.