HIM – A ROBOT AND AN ALIEN

A pair of footsteps mingled amongst hundreds of others as Tyson and Aya walked forward, holding each others’ hand. Although it was night, the city glistened brightly with lights, basking the main street alight. Her hand… feels so nice… Tyson thought as the two were unable to talk due to loud chatter, and continued to walk in silence. Dammit, I can’t even look at her properly…

“Hey,” Aya suddenly leaned into his ear and whispered. Your breath! Your breath woman!! “There’s a park nearby, let’s go there.”

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva and nodding, Tyson followed her lead as the two slowly left the crowded main street and moved toward a relatively empty park nearby. With a bit of effort, they found an empty bench and sat down, both exhaling deeply, still not letting go of each others’ hand.

“The city’s really crowded at night, huh?” Aya said.

“Yeah. Wait, don’t tell me you never actually went out during the night before?” Tyson asked.

“Eh, not everyone here has had a skewer-full of girlfriends to take out on nightly dates~~” Aya said, smirking. The two sat really close, their shoulders leaned against one another.

“… you’re still not letting go, huh?” Tyson chuckled. “But, it’s even worse during the summer. They line up the sides of the main street with countless vendors, from corn to pancakes. Not to mention when tourists start pouring in. It becomes almost impossible to find an empty seat in any of the restaurants or coffee shops nearby.”

“Eeh… looks like I was missing out on a lot.” she said, looking up.

“Not as much as you think. It’s just a bunch of noise, really.”

“It’s fine then. I was never good with crowds and loud places.”

“You seem the type.”

“A loner?”

“… never said that.”

“Did you forget I also study language?”

“Language has got nothing to do with it!” Tyson said. “You just take my words and warp them into something entirely different!”

“No, that would be you and your imagination.”

“Don’t mention my imagination anymore! The gag has lost its fuel!”

“What gag? I’m genuinely impressed. To think you’d start imagining us kissing just from touching my lips. He he, he…” How can she say that with such a deadpan expression?!!

“Didn’t we agree not to talk about it?!”

“No.”

“Mentally!”

“I didn’t know we could communicate telepathically. Even if I’m an alien, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not a part of my genes.”

“Hm, yeah, every time I’d imagine your alien specs, you’d usually wind up being more of a psychopath than an alien.”

“You’re lucky then that we aren’t alone in the park.”

“Psychopath with a tender heart, that is.”

“Wouldn’t I stop being a psychopath at that point?”

“No, no, it’s like in those assassin stories, right?” Tyson said. “Even though he kills coldly, his dinner is warm!”

“… what kind of shitty assassin stories have you been reading?”

“Ones that have tragic endings, I suppose.”

“You like tragic endings?”

“If done properly.”

“Properly? Is there even a way to do a tragic ending properly?” Aya said as she glanced sideways at him. “I mean, in the end, it all boils down to making the readers cry, right?”

“Hmm… that’s the bad tragedy you’re thinking of. You know, creating a character that everyone likes, then suddenly saying she’s got some shitty heart condition, and bam, killing her off in the end.”

“Isn’t that more bittersweet though?”

“How is a death of someone so pure bittersweet?!! As I thought, you’re a psychopath!”

“No, I mean, in those stories there’s usually the healthy guy or girl, right?”

“Right.”

“The stories are mostly about them, you know, where the dying girl or guy is just a catalyst for a change.”

“Yeah, but isn’t that doubling on the cheapness?” Tyson said, stroking his chin. “You know, being unable to be decisive with the ending. Tragedy is tragedy. I blame Shakespeare for romanticizing it.”

“Ah, your hatred is pretty ancient, I see. Even more so than your movie references.”

“Hey, aren’t we subtly foreshadowing our own end? Like, we fall in love, be happy and stuff, and then you suddenly tell me you gotta go back to your home planet.”

“Isn’t that just dumb rather than tragic?” Aya said.

“Heh, you don’t realize it, but each time you poke fun at my failed dream, a part of me dies.”

“Eh, it’s fine. You’ve got a lot of spare parts anyway.”

“Oi, when did I turn into a robot in this story?”

“Isn’t that fine?” Aya said. “It’ll be like Iron Giant, except the boy is an alien girl old enough to legally have sex, so she modifies the robot with a dick.”

“… you’re sick, you know?! Don’t go rewriting classic masterpieces into some shitty porn stories!!”

“Eh? I don’t think you understand the underlying messages,” Aya said, suddenly turning towards him. “Robot represents how we’re so robotic when it comes to sex nowadays, and alien represents how alien we are to our emotions when having sex!”

“… don’t pull out something actually impressive while butchering a beautiful story!! It’s confusing!”

“That’s why it’s a failed dream,” Aya said, smirking. “You’re bad at understanding, bad I tell you!”

“Ah, wouldn’t it be better to have a clash of traditions in that story of yours?” Tyson said suddenly, ignoring her.

“Clash of traditions?”

“Yeah, you know, robot can represent the way we see ‘love’ in modern times, and alien can just be someone from the past, an alien to modern culture.”

“Oh, that’s surprisingly not bad.”

“Heh, I have my moments~~”

“… why do you look so smug over something so simple?”

“Give me back my moment, dammit!” It’s getting a bit chilly. “Are you cold?”

“You offering me your jacket?”

“Yeah.”

“You can just hug me closely, though, right?”

“Hm? Sure,” Tyson let go of her hand and wrapped it around her back and pulled her closer. “Better?”

“An alien in robot’s embrace. What a beautiful metaphor.”

“Oi, don’t go turning our sweet moment in Z-grade literature!”

“Isn’t our ‘relationship’ kind of a Z-grade literature though?”

“Eh?”

“I mean, in most love stories, there’d be obstacles, right?” Aya said. “Like, aliens suddenly invading, or my long lost childhood love coming back to sweep me off my feet.”

“Oi, are you okay?! Are you finally having trouble putting line between real life and fiction? Besides, it’s not that simple.”

“It’s not?” Aya looked up, her hair tingling Tyson’s chin.

“I mean, we met when I was still in love with another girl, you know? It’s a development!”

“Wasn’t it more like worshiping at that point, though?”

“Oi, don’t make light of my fragile heart!”

“You’re a robot though, you don’t have a heart.”

“Are you saying Iron Giant didn’t have a heart?! If so, take it back right now! Take it back!”

“… oi, why are you so stuck up on that hunk of metal? If you love him so much, why not build him and marry him?!”

“If I was smart enough I would!”

“Eeeh, sorry for not being fifty meters tall piece of metal then.”

“Don’t worry, you’re fifty meters tall piece of work, so it’s almost the same.”

“That’s the most romantic thing you ever told me.”

“… that’s strangely depressing.”

“So, failed writer, how goes the rest of our story?” Aya asked, burying her head deeper into his chest.

“How the hell should I know? I’m not the only writer here.”

“Oh? You’re seeking my counsel?”

“… this is honestly the weirdest date I’ve ever had.” Tyson said, sighing.

“I can imagine,” Aya said. “There’s a girl in your hands and you’re acting so indifferent it’s almost as though you’re colder than this night.”

“… are you trying to start a poetry competition? What’s with that dumb line?!”

“Just wanted to show you that I’m also a failed writer.”

“So we have something in common, huh?” It’s the weirdest, yeah…

“Have to start someplace.” she said, chuckling lightly.

“And to think it all started with you calling me an idiot.”

“I never stopped.”

“Well, yeah, thanks for that,” … it’s the weirdest, definitely, but… “Nothing gets me pumped up more than a girl I like calling me an idiot on daily basis.”

“…” It’s also the most fu—WAIT, WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST BLURT OUT?!

“I-I me-mean, uh--”

“It’s fine,” she said, hiding her face. “I’ll allow it.”

“… what’s with this anti-climatic feeling I’m having in my chest right now?!”

“It just means your expectations were weird.”

“More like normal.”

“What? You wanted to fondle me a bit?”

“Well, yeah--- wait, what are you making me say?! Don’t put thoughts into my head, you devil incarnate!” How long has it been since I couldn’t calm myself, huh?

“Not yet,” she said, still hiding her face. “When you build me a spaceship so I can go back home, I’ll let you cop a feel.”

“… did you just doom me to a lifetime of a dry spell?”

“Who knows?”

“You do!!”

“Tehe.”

“Don’t ‘tehe me’!” I ought to thank her one day… “I’ve been researching on manga, you know? I’m aware of every play in your book!”

“Who’s the one unable to pull a line between reality and fiction now?”

“… walked right into that one, huh?”

“Don’t worry, isn’t the first and won’t be the last time.”

“Wait, did you just confirm you have plays in your book?!”

“Doesn’t everyone? Your play was to use the excuse of cold night to hug me, right?”

“… I was actually genuinely concerned.” … for calling me an idiot that day…

“That’s weak.”

“You’re weak!”

“I can actually bench 10kg, I’ll have you know.”

“That’s pathetic!! Even kids can do that much!! Are you sure you aren’t setting up a death flag that you’ll bomb me with when I suddenly find you in the hospital?!”

“So… you were genuinely concerned, huh?” she suddenly dug her head out of his chest and looked up; her bangs ran stranded over her forehead slightly, eyes slightly watery, cheeks reddened a bit.

“Y-yeah. So? Something wrong with that?”

“Nah,” she said, shaking her head for a moment. “I was just thinking… aah, that’s one of the reasons I like you, after all.” she smiled brightly, nearby lamp casting light of brilliance over her face. Mesmerized, Tyson stared into those glistening eyes and beautiful smile, his heart almost breaking out of his chest. Then, as though pulled by an invisible hand, he leaned forward and kissed her, hugging her ever so tightly.

The nightly wind brushed past them, swaying their hair sideways, as the two remained with their lips interlocked with sounds of hastened heartbeats echoing out into the suddenly warmer night.