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The first time Jerry referred to himself as “I” caught him completely by surprise. Judging by the look on Ralph’s face, it had caught him by surprise as well, though he opted not to verbally acknowledge it. Jerry was grateful.
The two had been living together in a small abandoned house on the outskirts of town since they’d been freed, and though there were still a couple of Jerrys in New Jericho and one in Canada, Jerry and Ralph had been living on their own for months now. Still, he was just as connected to the others as he had always been, so Jerry wasn’t surprised when he was immediately overwhelmed by guilt.
“Is Jerry alright?” Ralph asked as Jerry stood to excuse himself from the room.
True to his programming, Jerry put on a very convincing smile. “Of course. We just remembered something that we need to do, that’s all. We’ll be back in a little while.” He was less convincing with his excuses.
Ralph watched Jerry go without further questions, though he did make a note of the time. Jerry never left Ralph alone for long, something that could either make him feel special or make him feel he was being treated like a child depending on his mood. Right now he was thankful for it.
Once out of the house, Jerry sagged against the wall and sighed. He tentatively reached out to the others, just enough to make sure they were still there without actually bothering them. Sure enough, the connection was just fine. The Jerrys in New Jericho were playing with a group of android children, something Jerry envied greatly, and the one in Canada was helping to put together a swing set. Was it just a slip of the tongue? Despite not being able to technically feel pain, he could swear he was getting a headache, and after a few moments he opted to sit down and close his eyes. Maybe he just needed to focus on something else.
Sudden concerns aside, things were good. In fact, things were really good. Besides their love of children none of the Jerrys had ever really felt love before, certainly not the romantic type, but it took Jerry next to no time at all to fall for Ralph. How could he not? Ralph was the sweetest, most thoughtful person he’d ever met, and literally all he wanted in life was to be loved. That had actually worried Jerry a little in the beginning, because he wasn’t sure if Ralph genuinely cared for him, or only thought he did, but eventually all Jerry could do was set those concerns aside and hope for the best. As it turned out, it was the greatest decision he’d ever made. And though initially he’d had concerns about being separated from the other Jerrys, Ralph took those away just by being there. He never felt alone, he always felt loved, and yes they had their ups and downs like any couple, but when it came down to it he was the happiest he’d ever been.
When Jerry eventually opened his eyes he found Ralph crouching down in front of him, watching him curiously. “Ralph! How long have you been there?”
“A little while,” Ralph said. “Ralph thought thought Jerry would be back by now. He didn’t expect to find him right out front.”
Jerry sighed softly. “Well we didn’t need to go far. We just… needed to think. We’re sorry we lied to you.”
Ralph shrugged his shoulders and sat cross legged on the ground across from Jerry. “Ralph knew you weren’t telling the truth, but he didn’t mind. He knows what it’s like to need time alone sometimes.”
“Still, we should have been honest.” Jerry looked into Ralph’s eyes and could have easily short circuited from the love he saw there. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to that. “We’ve just…” He sighed again. This was so much more difficult than what he was used to. “We’ve never referred to ourselves as I before. We want to think it was a mistake but… we don’t think it was.”
Ralph wasted no time in scooting next to Jerry and kissing the spot where his LED had once been. He took one of Jerry’s hands in his own and laced their fingers together loosely as he spoke. “Ralph has never really understood how the Jerrys work, but if you’re all still connected aren’t you still a we even if Jerry says he’s an I?”
“Well yes. I guess that’s technically true.”
“Then is it really a bad thing?” Ralph asked. “It doesn’t seem like it would be bad or good, it just… is.”
“But why am I doing it?” Jerry stared down at their hands. He liked Ralph’s line of thinking, there was beauty in its simplicity, but that didn’t mean he could just accept it.
“Ralph doesn’t know. Maybe it’s because Ralph and Jerry are we now.” He shrugged again.
Jerry couldn’t help but smile at that. “Do you really think that’s it?”
“Maybe. Ralph likes the idea at least.”
After a moment, Jerry looked up to face Ralph, who unsurprisingly was staring right back at him. Unable to resist the perfect opportunity, he cupped Ralph’s cheek and softly kissed his lips. “I do too.”
Ralph smiled so sweetly and so patiently before his expression turned the tiniest bit bothered. “Then could we please move? Jerry is sitting in Ralph’s flower bed.”