Chapter Twenty-Four

Theo staggered to the side as Boom pushed past him, barreling onto the bridge with a snarl. “Security status report, Captain!”

Continuing to tap at the screens in her station, Jun stepped aside to make room as she seamlessly slid into place beside him and took up his work. “It’s Barnes. The contact was one of his Dolls I set free after the firefight on Crovia Nine. He sent a team after me. Not Raiders, professional cutthroats. I took out four of them, but they’ll be back.”

Boom faltered, and then started tapping even faster, fingers moving more quickly than humanly possible with the help of her glowing augments. “Barnes. Shit.”

Wiping sweat from his brow onto his shoulder while one hand and an attachment with ten additional fingers all tapped at his screens, Axel squawked from his station. “Shit is an understatement. There isn’t a planet big enough to contain the pile of excrement you’ve landed us in, Captain. Congratulations, you’ve sealed our proverbial doom.”

The ship lifted off the ground, and Jun careened into his console, then regained his footing quickly to pull up his own screens. “Anyone who wishes to leave my Crew can do so at any time without repercussions.”

Axel blew a raspberry without taking his focus off his work. “Who said anything about leaving? Facing certain doom is like, an easy Tuesday for us here on Park’s Crew, right, gang?”

A cheer came over the coms from Marco.

Theo strapped into his flight harness, struggling with the fastenings. “Quite right. It has been nothing but adventure and suspense from the moment we met. I’ve had a whale of a time, to be honest. Can’t wait for more.”

Axel sent him a fleeting grin and then turned back to curse at whatever was on his screen. “That’s right, Doc. Life after abduction really suits you, I can tell. Plus, having your pretty face around makes the captain practically giddy.”

The tips of Jun’s ears flushed a slow, sure red that sent something joyful streaming through Theo like jets of bubbles.

“You mean he’s usually even grumpier than this?” Some of the bubbles fizzled out in his voice, sending it floating up and away on a gust of levity.

The rest of the Crew’s resounding agreement overwhelmed Jun’s answering growl, interrupted only by Axel’s sudden gasp.

“The station has a lock on us. I have to switch to manual to break it. Hold on to your butts, guys. This is gonna get a little bumpy.”

Jun locked his feet into the metal braces beneath his console, holding on to the battered handholds at either side, as Boom rushed to strap in at her station. Jun swiveled to Theo, relief flitting across his expression when he saw his harness in place. “Marco, lock in and give us full thrusters on my mark.”

Axel started to take slow, measured breaths, hands steady on his controls.

“One.”

Boom cursed as her station lit up, fingers flying across her screens.

“Two.”

Theo gripped the base of his chair, offering a small nod to Jun when he sent him one last glance.

“Three. Hit it!”

Nothing happened.

Theo released his held breath and was about to ask what was happening when the entire ship tilted onto its side. He ducked to avoid a flying cupful of Axel’s snacks while Jun grunted and held on, muscles straining. Theo desperately wished he had taken a seat.

“Nothing to be alarmed by, folks. Just a little—” Axel hauled back and punched his attachment into a lever that had gotten stuck halfway. “—technical difficulty!”

Perhaps there was a solid foundation to Jun’s method of percussive maintenance after all. Theo would have to apologize for his skepticism, assuming they survived this.

The ship righted itself with a jolt, shuddered, and then the buzz of maximum speed hit Theo’s bones. It made his hair stand on end and his eyes water.

Jun checked on his Crew. “Everyone alright? Marco?”

Boom’s rapid tapping paused for a fraction of a second when there was no answer, her gaze flickering to Jun and back.

Jun leaned over his station, his teeth bared. “Marco, report!”

“—ine, I’m fine! Just a bit—” He grunted as something crashed in the background with the telltale tinkle of broken glass. “—busy, Captain!”

The tense line of Jun’s shoulders relaxed incrementally.

Boom let out a whoop that brought all their attention to her. “We’re free! No readings indicate a lock or even a trace. We should be okay, for now.”

Jun released his locked boots and went to her station. He gave her a curt nod. “Good. Axel, stand by for orders. Dr. Campbell, you’re coming with me.” He was across the bridge in a few strides to remove Theo’s harness quickly and efficiently.

Theo’s jaw dropped when Jun took his hand and led him out into the lift. “What’s happening; where are we going?”

Though Jun’s palms were sweaty, his grip was sure and strong. “You can’t be here any longer. It’s gotten too dangerous.”

Theo decided to focus on one issue at a time. “Is this because of that man who doesn’t like you? Barnes?”

Jun huffed out a humorless laugh and speared Theo with his gaze as the lift door opened. “Do you remember when I told you I had bad news?”

Theo usually tried to forget bad news, actually. It was Ari’s job to remember that sort of thing. Life was much better that way. He trailed along behind Jun as he led them down the hallway. “Vaguely.”

They came to a stop outside of the docking bay. Jun opened a wall panel and retrieved a small armory of defensive weapons, stashing them about his person as he spoke. “Well, it just got worse. Barnes’s compound holds the main stockpile of holozite. The stockpile that we need, according to your translations.”

Theo accepted a new detonator and tucked it into his empty pocket with a puzzled twist of his brow. “Okay, but— You haven’t even gone after it yet. Why would he send men after you?”

Jun closed the panel and reached for Theo’s hand. He faltered with surprise when Theo shrank back with a stubborn chin to await his answer. “He hates me. I used to work for him. Just a faceless grunt. Mindless muscle until he pulled me up to learn the business at his side. I was young and stupid and on the wrong path. And when I saw the error of my ways and finally left, I took some people with me. He didn’t like that.”

That didn’t seem reasonable to Theo. “He lost a bunch of employees and holds it against you?”

The pain in Jun’s expression squeezed Theo’s heart like a fist. “No, Theo. Not employees. Dolls. He lost people he considered his property. He thinks I stole from him. I didn’t. He was stealing from them. Stole their freedom. I merely restored to them that which was rightfully theirs.”

It should have been obvious, from the occasional formality of Jun’s speech patterns, that he had been Core-born. Theo had been so dazzled by his stunning appearance and mysterious persona he hadn’t read the signs. Too fascinated by and focused on their differences, he hadn’t realized how much they had in common.

He beamed up at Jun with every ounce of the love that had been building inside of him for weeks now, finally letting it shine through. “You’re a hero, Jun.”

The pain on Jun’s face darkened into something more akin to anger. “No, I’m not. I’m nothing like a hero, just an ex-grunt trying to set things straight in a tilted universe.”

Theo inched closer and smoothed the scowl line between his brows away with his thumb. He cupped the side of Jun’s face and let his voice drop low between them. “Don’t you see? That is precisely what a hero would say.”

Jun’s lashes fluttered shut for a brief, sweet moment as he leaned into Theo’s hand. And then he pulled away with a sharp inhale. “Come on. I’m getting you out of here.”

Theo dug in his heels when Jun attempted to tug him by the hand. “What? Where am I going? Why?”

The force of Jun’s sigh lifted his broad shoulders in a way that might have been distracting if Theo did not possess laser focus and an iron will.

Alright, so it was slightly distracting.

“As charming as your endless inquisitiveness usually is, I don’t have time for it right now.”

All traces of anger fled beneath the sheer driving force of his joy at the praise. Theo bounced on his toes and shoved his hair out of his face to better look up into Jun’s. “You find me to be charming? Really? Tell me more.”

The shadow of a smile passed over Jun’s face before he reverted to his scowl. He slammed his hand on the door panel that opened into the docking bay. “Get in the dinghy. I’m sending Axel to take you home. I should never have brought you out here, into danger.”

Theo peered in the doorway and then took a step back to lean against the bulkhead and cross his arms. “Hmm, no.”

The sharp, precise way in which Jun turned to him sent a frisson of electricity up Theo’s spine that he wanted to chase to the source. “What do you mean, no?”

Flicking an imaginary speck of dust from the wrist of his jacket, Theo affected a bored tone that had never failed to set his brother’s teeth on edge. “Allow me to translate in plain Standard. No. I will not be going. I refuse.”

Jun loomed over him, fists clenched, a muscle ticking in his jaw. It should not have been as alluring as it was. “I don’t recall giving you a choice.”

Theo scoffed as Jun wrapped a firm but careful hand around his arm and tugged him away from the wall. “Is this a reverse kidnapping? You’re trying to send me back against my will? You are, truly, terrible at this, Jun. Just an abysmal abductionist. Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure you have other talents I’m as yet unaware of. Baking, perhaps? Pianoforte? But, kidnapping? Not one of them. I would say you have ample room to improve in that arena.”

Jun dragged him along a couple of steps, then halted with a low, frustrated growl. “Shut up and get in the dinghy.”

Theo twisted and looped his arms around Jun’s neck. He hooked one knee around Jun’s thigh, tilted his head, and booped his nose against Jun’s. “Make me.”

It was as if a dam had broken. With a heavy grip beneath his thighs, Jun lifted Theo up and then slammed his back against the metal shell of the dinghy with just enough force to make his teeth rattle and his cock as hard as steel.

Jun swallowed his gasp with a heavy breath, hovering over Theo’s lips, then dropped his face to Theo’s throat. He sucked on a patch of skin, teeth skimming just right as Theo bucked his hips against his. Theo was so distracted he almost missed the words Jun started to growl against his neck. “Trying. I’m trying, but you—always—you—with your fucking mouth.”

Theo dug his fingers into Jun’s shoulders and arched back against the ship, already breathless with wanting. “You could always kiss me to shut me up.”

The velvety fuzz of the shaved-close side of Jun’s head tickled him under the chin. “That’s not how I want to kiss you.”

Theo let go of Jun’s shoulders, grabbed the long fall of hair at the top of his head, and yanked him up to meet his shocked gaze. “I’m sorry. Did you just say that you want to kiss me?”

It was a good thing Theo had a tenacious grip with his thighs, because Jun might have dropped him otherwise. His mouth worked silently for a moment, and then he stammered out Theo’s name, eyes as wide as Theo had ever seen them.

Theo wanted to scream. He wanted to jump for joy and also maybe bash Jun’s head against the ship a little. “Jun. Are you serious? Because, I—”

The unwelcome buzz and whine of coms switching on overhead froze them both in place.

“Captain to the bridge! You’ll want to see this. Bring Dr. Campbell.”

Jun lowered him to the floor much less energetically than he had lifted him. He stepped away, clearing his throat as he tucked his mussed shirt into his trousers. At no point did he even attempt to meet Theo’s piercing gaze.

Theo didn’t bother to right himself beyond skimming a hand through his hair to shake it out. “Well, Captain, it appears your plan to be rid of me will have to wait. How tragically inconvenient for you.”

Jun squared his shoulders to meet his glare head-on, hands held at his side as if they were preparing for a duel at twenty paces. “I’m trying to keep you safe. I don’t want to be rid of you.”

There was little Theo could do about the unruly celebration of those words clamoring around his head, sending a rush of relief through his chest, so he chose to ignore it. He put some bite in his words, teeth snapping.

“No? Then, tell me, what do you want with me, exactly? Because it seems you’d quite like to kiss me, despite your blasted rules. I’m beginning to suspect you have tender feelings for me beyond that of a convenient bedwarmer, and your continued silence on the matter does nothing to uphold your lofty ideals. Valor, indeed.”

Not long ago, he had witnessed Jun face several armed men with less visible trepidation than he did this conversation.

“Theo—I—”

“Now, Captain!”

They both winced at Boom’s distorted voice shouting overhead. The mechanical squeal of the coms shutting off went through Theo’s head like a spike.

He gave Jun two more breaths to say something, and then he threw his arms up in exasperation. “Oh, sod this. I’m heading back. You can stay here and wade through your bottled-up emotions on your own, Captain Park.”

Jun gave him several paces’ distance before following after.