Cerulean Planet (Blue Dust Trilogy #1)

Chapter 12

With a cozy, comfortable, covered, and safe small space to slumber in, Jiayun slept for ten full hours. The urge to urinate woke him and he took a piss with the monster's help. Then, he retrieved some ice and frozen fish from outside and brought them into the hut to graze on.

Jiayun tinkered with a communicator inside the room while the monster lit a light above his head. It was the same wispy blue light just like before. Seeing the light made Jiayun feel safe and calm; yet, at the same time, he thought the small, glowing protrusion from the monster's head looked rather ridiculous and teased them for it. The monster stared at him and spoke not a word.

Jiayun held a small piece of jerky in his mouth. He chewed and bit on it, but was reluctant to gobble it down. He sat cross-legged in the monster's arms with a small screwdriver in hand, working on the mechanical panel with his back hunched over.

The monster put their hand on the back of his head, gently petting it.

Jiayun felt a bit ticklish, but the sensation was pleasant. He turned his head and rubbed it against their hand.

After a while, the monster's fingers began moving in circles, caressing between strands of his hair.

It was only then that Jiayun realized something was off. He set aside the things in his hands and pulled away from the monster, twisting his body around. "Why did you do that?" he asked.

The monster retracted their hand and remained silent for a long while.

Jiayun scrutinized their face, void of any emotions, and cocked a brow in satisfaction. "You don't know, do you. Well, allow me to explain.

"When a person is in love with someone, they will touch the other like so, helplessly, hopelessly."

"Are you implying that I have developed human feelings for you?" the monster asked.

Jiayun nodded, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"Were you not the one who said that I do not possess consciousness, not to mention emotions?"

"Just goes to show how irresistible I am, haha!"

The monster extended their hand out. Inside their palm were two small pieces of seaweed. "They were stuck to your hair."

Jiayun shrugged, not bothered in the least. "Who knows where you dug those out from."

"Based on your logic, I touched you and, in turn, you complied with and enjoyed my touches. Is that not evidence that you have also developed romantic feelings for me?"

Jiayun smiled, his eyes curving into arches. "Then you admit to having dug out the seaweed from between the wall cracks?"

"I said nothing of the sort."

"You, a living fossil who's been around for more than 100 million years, tried to pull a prank like a kid. And tried denying it too."

The monster snuffed out the lights the moment he finished speaking and the hut fell into darkness.

Jiayun burst into laughter. Whether the monster really did pluck things off his hair or was just trying to disguise their involuntary touches, he found their whole act adorable all the same. Besides, being able to tease them made him beyond elated.

He was teasing a 100 million year old tentacle monster.

After spending more than 20 hours indoors, Jiayun finally had enough. He got into the monster and moved about outside.

First, he examined what remained of their ships, then surveyed the area, before finally checking whether there were leaks in the pipe or the little hut he built.