“Then you’re both lucky.” Leroy took another contemplative sip, never taking his eyes off Dex. “Nobody can go it alone.”
“Robots can,” Dex said.
“Yeah, but that one looks like it loves company.” Leroy turned his attention to the water and laughed once more at the nautical antics, shaking his head.
Dex took an oh-so-casual sip. “Don’t we all?”
The question landed exactly where Dex hoped it would, and a sparkle appeared in Leroy’s eye. A slow smile crept across his face. “Y’know, Sibling, I was wondering…”
“Yeah?” Dex said.
Leroy’s smile grew. “Well, if your friend doesn’t need you around tonight, would you … like to spend it at my place?”
Everything that had annoyed Dex about the day became instantly worth it. “Yeah,” they said. “I would.” They set their plate aside and got to their feet.
“Oh—now?” Leroy said.
Dex grinned at him. “Do you have somewhere else to be?”
Leroy laughed with happy surprise. “Well … okay, then. All right.” He stood and held out his hand.
Dex took it and felt their pulses greet each other, buzzing with the impulsive promise of something good for the soul. They headed back down the dock together, drawing closer with each step. The lights of the party flickered on the water, and the stars answered them above.
* * *
Fond as Dex was of their own bed, it was nice, for a change, to wake up in someone else’s. As it turned out, Leroy’s home and the fab shack were one and the same. He had a large room behind his work space, and much could be read in how it was arranged. His bed was low and spacious—easy to fall into, hard to get out of. The kitchen nook was basic but well stocked with simple, healthy things. There was a big armchair with a high-performance sound system behind it, speakers angled toward where a head would rest. Knickknacks and artwork filled the empty spaces but not in a cluttered way—just a few carefully chosen things that each hinted at a story.
The wall opposite the bed was almost entirely composed of floor-to-ceiling windows, and when Dex opened their eyes that morning, the river was the first thing to say hello. Leroy was the second, though he hadn’t awoken yet. Dex smiled at the sound of his sleeping breaths and at the scent of the recently laundered sheets that cradled them both. Outside, a small parade of mud ducks paddled by. A turtle basked on a sunbaked rock. A crane thrust its long neck into the water, came up empty, and continued the hunt. Dex propped themself up on a pillow, enjoying every sight and smell and feeling without weighing them down with any thought more complicated than perception.
They glanced at their pocket computer lying faceup on the bedside table. More messages had appeared in their mailbox, patiently waiting. Dex took a brief glance. More requests from the City, all from people they didn’t know. Would Mosscap want to make recordings for the historical archives, their mailbox asked? Would they be open to adding a third public meeting at the University, as the first two had already filled up? The Mechanics’ Guild had invited them both to a formal dinner, but now their hosts were rethinking—would it be more polite to organize something for Mosscap that didn’t involve food?
Dex turned their computer off and returned to the sheets and the ducks.
There was a knock at the door, quiet but clear. Dex looked over at Leroy; their host remained asleep. After a moment’s consideration, Dex extricated themself from the bed as stealthily as they could. Another knock came as they looked around for their clothes. They put on their own pants and Leroy’s shirt, then padded barefoot through the shop and to the front door, where the knocking continued.
Dex opened the door to find Mosscap on the other side, knuckles raised mid-knock. In its other hand it grasped a polished wooden cane, which it leaned heavily on. “Good morning, Sibling Dex!” the robot said. “Congratulations on having sex last night.”
A laugh came from behind where Mosscap stood, and Dex craned their head to see Ms. Amelia, the speedboat owner, leaning on a similarly styled cane and continuing to laugh behind her hand. There was an empty pushcart behind her—presumably the means by which she’d brought Mosscap to the fab shack. She gave Dex a cheery wave, her eyes crinkling merrily.
“Uh,” Dex said. Their cheeks grew warm, and they cleared their throat. “Thanks, Mosscap.”
The robot beamed. “Ms. Amelia was very helpful in teaching me the social norms surrounding such behavior. I’m still not sure I understand it in full, but she made it quite clear that I should not disturb you, even though I would love to know the particulars of how you—”