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"You're never with your group." Nigel croons, head tilting as he leans his arms on the jutted out rock in front of him. "Why is that?"
Adam doesn't look at him. He's too focused on what he was writing in the muddy sand of the shore. "I don't really like being around them. It's hard to keep up."
"Keep up with what, darling?"
"Everything." Adam's cool blue eyes meet Nigel's warm brown ones for just a moment, the latter having his breath taken right out from him at the sight- despite that being one of the many few times they made eye-contact, it still put him in awe just how beautiful this human was. Adam doesn't seem to be as affected, but he does stop drawing in the sand in favour of linking his hands together around his drawn up legs. Adam is so small compared to Nigel’s full form, it endears his heart. "They talk a lot, and say a lot of things I don't understand. They say one thing and mean something else- they- they lie, casually, in everyday conversation. They think I'm stupid.”
Nigel hums a low tune, not entirely meaning to but appreciating the shivering effect it had on the other. "You don't lie?"
Adam seems almost distressed by the question, his own sound coming out at a much higher pitch. "No!"
“Bullshit.” Nigel snorts. Then, "Do you think you're stupid?"
Nigel notices how quickly Adam stiffens at his question. The man stares directly at his elbow and his expressions stays in a very practiced indifference.
"Do you?"
Nigel's brows rose at the response. He feels the weight behind those two words wrap around him like the heat of the sun beating down on him during a particularly bad day- Adam was too used to being seen as stupid. So much so he practically expects his new friend to think the same.
Well, Nigel was always one for surprises.
"No, I don't." He says, voice taking a softer tone than before. Adam visibly relaxes, and his face loosens up into a quiet shock. "I think your fucking group is stupid for assuming that of you."
Adam's nose crinkles at his curse, though not with distaste. It's rather cute. "I'm not stupid. I'm very good at what I do, and I'm the most efficient at my job. I used to program dolls at my old job, but I got fired because I made them too well." There's just a smidge of haughtiness to his voice that makes Nigel laugh, and Nigel's laughter makes Adam brighten up as his attempt at a sarcastic joke is taken as intended.
"I don't doubt that at all, darling." Nigel moves away from the rock he was perched on as it heated up a bit too much for his liking, drifting towards Adam and floating close enough that he could better see what Adam was writing on the ground. They were numbers, he knew that much, but he didn't know exactly what they meant, so…
"What are those numbers?"
Adam blinks, before a smile spreads wide across his face. "It's the speed of light. 186,282 miles per second. 299,792 in kilometers per second." Adam's shoe taps on the sand, and he begins to rock. "It's also 670,616,629 in miles per hour."
Nigel honestly does not process those numbers. Not that he isn't bright, he was just too distracted by how beautiful this clear joy looks on his new favorite human. Also he hates math.
"That's...very fucking fast." He gives Adam a smile, finding himself genuinely interested in this man's clear hobby. "Do you enjoy learning about these things?"
"Yes, I do." Adam nods, his own smile so, so bright. "I really enjoy learning about space too. I know a lot of things about it."
"Oh really? Tell me about it."
Adam's rocking stops momentarily, his smile dropping just a bit. "...You- you're going to have to be more specific."
Nigel finds himself disliking the falter in his human’s excitement, so he quickly figures out some semblance of a beginning topic. "What's your favorite thing you know about space? Anything about the stars, or the planets-"
"There are eighty-eight constellations that we've found in our solar system." Adam nearly interjects, Nigel finding himself not minding a bit. "Although it's mostly common knowledge that there's at least twelve of them- uh, Aries, Aquarius, Cancer, Capricornus- also known as Capricorn- Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpius- also known as Scorpio- Taurus, and Virgo."
“Eighty-eight…” Nigel says, drifting just a bit closer to his Adam. “Seems like such a small number compared to the rest of the fucking universe. Knowing the vast size of the universe itself makes me feel pretty fucking small too.”
Adam laughs, a soft and small sound that was just as beautiful as his people’s songs, if not more. He could listen to that forever. He wants to listen to that forever.
He wants Adam forever.
But...with the nervous lilt in Adam’s voice, the way he folds himself in and does all he can to take as little space as possible, Nigel wants to get his beauty to open up more to him. He needs complete trust before he can even begin to lead Adam into his sea.
Luckily, Nigel can be a very patient person.