Lending a Hand
"Thank you for coming." Carlos gave Cecil a little nod, as stiff and formal as ever.
The radio host couldn't suppress a grin as he stepped into the lab. "Oh, it's no problem at all! I've been so eager to see what goes on in your lab, with all the flashing lights and beakers and humming electrical instruments…"
He looked around to take them all in, and his face fell just slightly. Carlos watched as he took a second look, but there was very little science paraphernalia to be seen.
"I thought… there would be more."
"There was. At first." Carlos sighed and walked across the room. "But then the others started disappearing and leaving, and when my funding was cut I had to send a lot of it back, and well… this is what's left." He shrugged. "I'm making do with what I have."
Cecil was staring at the few bits of equipment scattered around, his nostrils flared in thought. "How long has it been like this?"
"Oh… Well it started a month or so after I'd arrived." Carlos gave a resigned laugh. "You know my greatest fear was that everyone else would leave, one by one, until it was just me left in this empty room, alone?"
Cecil said nothing, but stepped closer and curled his arm around Carlos's. The scientist sighed softly and leaned into him for a moment.
"I'm used to it now," he said quietly. "I've been gradually coming to terms with it since then. I'm examining my options, though. I applied to the science department at Night Vale Community College, and… well, I wondered if I could get your input on other places. I know the Sheriff and the mayor and various other organizations have… scientists, if you can call them that, working for them. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with those options, though."
"Don't," Cecil breathed, squeezing Carlos's arm.
"I didn't think so. I'll just hope for a staff position at the college, then. What about that?"
Cecil nodded quickly. "That's… safe. For the most part."
Carlos nodded and they stood in silence for a few seconds. Then Cecil's grip on him tightened until he was clinging, squeezing, holding on for dear life.
"You'd be safe if you left," he barely whispered. "As long as you could get out. I don't know…"
"No," Carlos said simply, and both men turned and hugged each other so tightly it hurt. But only for a moment, and then Carlos stepped back and gave Cecil a pat on the back and a light kiss on the head. "No," he said a little louder, with a smile.
"Thank you."
"But until something else comes up, I'm keeping up with my work… and I just wanted to show you what I've been finding in the clocks, to see if you had any thoughts on it."
"You want me to… help you with your work?" Cecil sounded incredulously pleased.
"Well yes. I can't think of anyone better." Carlos smiled that smile that seemed too small for his face.
"Oh! Well! I AM very into science these days," Cecil said proudly.
"So I've heard," Carlos laughed. "Come on, over here."
There was a row of Tupperware boxes on a table at the back of the lab, with a few holes drilled into them. Each held a dish of water, some dirt, and… a thing. The leftmost box held a small gray gelatinous blob. The one next to it seemed a little bigger and hairier. Each blob was larger and hairier than the last, and they began developing teeth as well.
"So these… are all specimens that I've extracted from various clocks around town," Carlos explained. "Not all clocks, just certain select ones. I wasn't sure what they were at first, but now I'm beginning to think they're the larval stage of some kind of creature. They are definitely alive… though they don't show all the typical signs of life for animals in… in the outside world. But I'm positive that they are, in fact, living creatures in various stages of development. This shows a time lapse of their growth. The one at the left, I just extracted today. But here, this one all the way on the left… this is the first one I discovered." They moved to look at the thing in the largest box. It was covered in thick gray fur of medium length with a few spines sticking out of the hair here and there. It seemed to have small limbs, and the glint of twelve eyes shone up at the two men.
"Neat," Cecil breathed.
"It is! I can't figure out what they eat, but they do appear to drink water… sometimes. They're still alive, in any case. But it's been growing now for nearly a year. I'm sure they have something to do with the slower time in Night Vale. What do you think? Have you ever seen anything like them before?"
The radio host stepped closer to examine the creature more closely. When he bent down and put his head next to the box, he could hear a soft, 'Tick. Tick. Tick.' Cecil tapped on the side, and the thing made a little buzzing sound and scrambled back on three legs, each of a different length and thickness.
"I've never seen anything like it. It's… cute!"
"You think so?"
"Just look at the softness of its fur, the shining of its eyes…"
"Cecil, everything you say about me is starting to make so much more sense now."
Cecil grinned and turned to kiss the scientist's temple. "Dear, beautiful Carlos, this poor creature is nothing compared to your splendor. Nothing and no one on Earth can match you," he murmured. Carlos rolled his eyes and laughed.
"But do you know what it is?"
The radio host examined the things for a while longer, then slowly shook his head. "I've never seen anything like them before. I'm sorry."
Carlos nodded slowly. "No, that's okay. I didn't really expect them to be anything other than a mystery. I'll keep monitoring their growth and behavior." He paused and smiled a little. "And I'll keep you updated. Thanks for your help."
Cecil blushed. "I didn't help at all, though!" he protested.
Carlos's arms snaked around him from behind. "Thanks for coming. Thanks for being here. Thanks for listening. It's… not easy to take on all this alone. And it really helps to have someone to talk about all of this to."
Cecil turned to return the embrace, resting his head against Carlos's chest to hear his heartbeat. "I'll come over any time you want. You don't have to be alone. …If you don't want to."
"I'd like that."
"And I'd be glad to describe those things to my listeners and see if any of them knows anything when I tell everyone about today."
Carlos chuckled. "That would be great.