#sixpointtwo

[everestmotors]

Gracias Roberto por confiar en nosotros con la compra de este 2015 Ford F250 Extended Cab 4x4 Long Bed 6.2L Gas y bienvenido a la familia Everest Motors. https://www.everestmotorsinc.com #everestmotors #houstontx #portertx #whitef250 #whiteford #whitetruck #fordf250 #fordf2504x4 #fordf250pickup #fordf250extendedcab4x4 #fordf250gas #sixpointtwo #wesellgastruckstoo #expectagreatdeal #coaf #capitaloneautofinance (at Houston, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeIDvYauMY_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[grrunnergurl]

Long and slow, short and fast. It's all relative especially when you nail an 8:50 PR. #10k #run #runwild #salty #sixpointtwo #personalrecord #win #saturdaymorning #runner #running #michigan #summer #cool #fog

[dseekingslender]

This Belle is on the bus and ready to roll to the first part of the #GlassSlipperChallenge I'm headed to the start line of the #Princess10k the first day of running at #PrincessHalfMarathonWeekend at #DisneyWorld #RunningAfterWeightLoss #260lbsDown #WLSRunners #RunnerGirl #RunnerLife #SixPointTwo #WLSFitness #FitnessFightsObesity #UntilTheLastPetalFalls

[songofsunset]

Six the Alien on Ao3

Hello! I posted Six the Alien on Ao3! Go check it out! I’ll be adding the rest of my mantid stories and drabbles to that collection as well, once I have a bit of time :)

Because the last part of the original post wasn’t written by me, I wrote my own take on the concept for the Ao3 version, and I figured I’d post it here as well. 

Enjoy!

------

Anna is pregnant, and Sixpointtwo is mourning.

Not Mourning with a capital M, not in the way that would break him again, not so soon. But he sees the oncoming loss, and braces for it, and it sits sweet and aching in his stomachs.

He will be happy for the child, when it comes. Happy to raise it, happy to play with it, happy to carry it around on his back like his predecessor had done with Megan, back when they'd first met.

For humans, death is permanent.

But oh, he will miss Anna in his life.

Anna's wife seems fine with the situation, talks cheerfully about crib choices and room decorations. Everyone is happy, and no one is mourning, and Sixpointtwo does not understand.

This is not unusual, when dealing with humans. They are a weird species, and react in weird ways, and every time he thinks he understands them- well.

For humans, death is permanent.

Maybe they do not mourn because they are so used to it, this final death, this suffering. Maybe it is because somehow, unchecked sorrow will not kill them, because they can survive pain so intense that Sixpointtwo can only remember it in echoes, because they call that survival commonplace.

Sixpointtwo wishes he had their strength.

"Hey, Point Two," Anna says, one day when he is visiting. He visits often, these days. "Come help me choose a paint color for the playroom."

Sixpointtwo does.

He does, and because he cares about her he does not say 'why aren't you scared to die, Anna, why aren't you holding your wife and saying your goodbyes?' he does not say 'I will miss you and I love you and I'm scared to lose you, I'm so scared to lose you-' and he does not say 'please don't leave me.'

He just peers at the swatches with his left eye, and his right, and the three smaller eyes on his forehead... then turns to her with a quirk of his antennae and twitch of his mandibles and reminds her that they see in entirely different color spectrums.

She laughs and laughs and laughs, and when she is done laughing she tells him to pick whichever he prefers anyways. 'You're going to be spending a lot of time there, after all, and I want you to enjoy it.'

He chooses the teal, and she calls it a good choice. Megan had liked that color, she tells him. For humans...

Sixpointtwo spends as much time with Anna as he can.

Anna goes to the hospital, eventually, sweating and groaning through contractions, and Sixpointtwo goes with her. He wills the car to drive faster, wills the baby to eat slower, wills the world to give him and Anna just a little more time...

Anna's wife meets them there, and Sixpointtwo is left alone in the corner of the sitting room, staring around at the magazines and too-small chairs, smelling coffee and antiseptic.

It makes sense, he supposes, for the birth-death to happen in the hospital. Humans are so fond of their cleanliness (except when they aren't.) Maybe it relaxes them. Maybe it's just one of those weird cultural things he can never hope to understand. Maybe he's just a slob.

Down the hallway, someone screams.

Time crawls by. People filter in and out of the room, staring at him, or flinching, or walking quickly away. Sixpointtwo ignores them, rocking slightly, hoping the baby will like him, hoping nothing goes wrong... and hoping with all his soul that he'll be able to see Anna one last time before she dies.

For humans, death-

"Six!" says Anna's wife, and Sixpointtwo looks up at her, heart in his throat. "Come on, Anna wants to see you!"

Something inside Sixpointtwo melts in relief. She wants to see him. She's alive, and she's going to say goodbye to him. She's not gone, there's still time, there's still-

"In here," says Anna's wife. "They're both in here, go ahead, you've got to see-"

And there she is. There Anna is, tired, and sweaty, and alivealivealive, and Sixpointtwo thinks this must be what humans feel like when they start to cry. 'Anna', he signs 'Anna I'm so glad you're still here, I'm going to miss you and-'

In Anna's arms, something burbles.

Something small, and blobby, and pink, and it's wearing a hat, like a person, and has hands like a person, and almost has a face like a person, and-

"Come see him, Point Two," Anna says. "Come say hello to my child."

Sixpointtwo does.

------

Anna's wife explains it to him later, when Anna is nursing the baby.

"Oh Six, I'm so sorry- I didn't know. Do Mantids only ever have the one way of having babies?"

Sixpointtwo shrugs. Not most of them, anyways, not usually.

"She's fine, Six, she's fine and she's gonna keep being fine. For humans-"

For humans, she says, sometimes birth brings death. But not always. These days, not usually.

For humans, death is permanent.

For humans, birth is not an end.

[everestmotors]

Larry and his 2017 Ford F-250 Crew Cab Lariat 4x4 Short Bed 6.2L Gas set and ready to go. Thank you for letting us give you the first class service and welcome to Everest Motors family. https://everestmotorsinc.com #everestmotors #houstontx #fresnotx #tanf250 #tanford #tantruck #fordf250superduty #fordf250lariat #fordf250crewcab #fordf250lariat4x4 #fordf250gas #sixpointtwo #wesellgastruckstoo #expectagreatdeal #amacofcu #amacofederalcreditunion (at Everest Motors, Inc) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcajmdarP8y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[everestmotors]

Came, bought and had her shipped to her new home in Port St. Lucie, FL! Thank you Mark for purchasing this 2018 Ford F250 Regular Cab XLT 2WD Gas and welcome to Everest Motors family. https://everestmotorsinc.com #everestmotors #houstontx #portstluciefl #whitetruck #fordf250superduty #fordf250singlecab #fordf250gasburner #sixpointtwo #wesellgastruckstoo #coronawontstopus #expectagreatdeal #weshiptoo (at Everest Motors, Inc) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_O9DZyh58z/?igshid=8jjqldhneczo

[everestmotors]

Shipped and gone all the way to Bend, OR. Thank s to Marc for the purchase. Enjoy this 2012 Ford F-350 Crew Cab 4x4 Lariat Long Bed Single Rear Wheel 6.2L Gas and welcome to Everest Motors family. https://everestmotorsinc.com #everestmotors #bendoregon #houstontx #bendor #fordf350superduty #silvertruck #fordf350gas #sixpointtwo #fordf350lariat #wesellgastruckstoo (at Everest Motors, Inc) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6FSS0jB8pu/?igshid=efsvrxzk0fau

[everestmotors]

Thank you Orfanel for your interest in our inventory. We are glad to have what you were looking for and proud that you chose us despite having other options. Take this 2017 Ford F-250 Extended Cab 4x4 XL Long Bed 6.2L Gas home and welcome to Everest Motors family. https://everestmotorsinc.com/ #everestmotors #houstontx #katytx #fordf250 #fordf2504x4 #gasser #greytruck #campertruck #wesellgastruckstoo #sixpointtwo (at Everest Motors, Inc) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3OkAeYhbrl/?igshid=1uiujt47xcf3v

[everestmotors]

Fantastic Hans thank you for coming to us from Deerpark, TX to purchase this 2017 Ford F-250 Crew Cab XLT Long Bed 6.2L Gas 4X4. Enjoy and Welcome to Everest Motors family. https://everestmotorsinc.com #everestmotors #houstontx #deerparktx #fordf250superduty #fordf250pickup #sixpointtwo #wesellgastruckstoo #shellfederalcreditunion #shellfcu #whitetruck https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ziOY7hx-Z/?igshid=4u3z39kyoobk

[everestmotors]

The Beast is gone. 2011 Ford F-150 Platinum 4x4 Crew Cab with 6.2L Gas Engine is on her way to Lumberton, TX Thank you Kristopher for the opportunity and welcome to the family. https://everestmotorsinc.com #everestmotors #houstontx #lumbertontx #crb #mechanicsbank #fordf150platinum #sixpointtwo #whitetruck #weselltrucks (at Everest Motors, Inc) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxfs8xSB8Um/?igshid=z2zdmk2dlmd1

[everestmotors]

2011 Ford F-250 Crew Cab Short Bed 6.2L Gas is being shipped to Lake Butler, FL where Karl and Kindra await her arrival. Thank you guys for visiting us and giving us the opportunity to give you the service you deserve. #everestmotors #houstontx #lakebutlerfl #blacktruck #fordf250superduty #sixpointtwo #f250gasser #weselltrucks #trucksforsale #weship (at Everest Motors, Inc) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwI863ehTuZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=g5wsbvi4e7ww