Theo pursed his lips in mock contemplation as he trained the gun on Jun’s wide chest. He took a step back into the main cabin beneath the force of Jun’s rage from his seat in the cockpit. “Hmm, no. I think I’d rather not. I have loads of questions I’d like answers to, first.”
Jun’s glare, sharp and calculating, measured the distance across the floor between them. He pushed to stand, all traces of exhaustion gone even though he had only slept for an hour.
Theo clicked the wheel on the side of the gun until it made a low buzzing sound that vibrated in the bones of his hand.
Jun went very still very quickly, focus trained on Theo’s restless fingers hovering over the trigger.
“Yes. Now you’re going to answer my questions, Captain Jun Park. I did warn you that I had unexpected depths.”
Jun swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing down his throat as his attention never faltered from the gun.
Theo set his jaw with determination, widening his stance as he held the gun with both hands. “What is your favorite color? No, food. No, animal. Actually, I’d like to know all three, please.”
Jun’s focus finally left the gun, flying to Theo’s face with an expression that could only be described as flabbergasted. “Are you serious?”
Theo attempted the stern expression his brother liked to use while lecturing him on the importance of proper desk organization. “I do appear to be the man with the gun, yes. All three, and be quick about it.”
Jun’s face really was incredibly handsome without his habitual scowl in place. He looked confused and tired and shockingly young. His expression lines disappeared into smooth bronze skin stretched tight across the most beautiful bone structure Theo had ever seen.
His mouth moved silently before he spit out a rapid-fire answer. “Black. Bibimbap. I don’t like animals.”
Theo heaved a disappointed sigh, clucked his tongue as he held the gun steady. “Black is hardly a color. I suspect that’s a decoy answer to conceal your true love of some color you find undignified for whatever reason. Bibimbap is an excellent choice. Pick an animal anyway.”
“Cat,” Jun said, exactly as though a cat had once murdered his entire family.
Theo dropped the stern expression like an unwanted rag, his face shining with delight. “My favorites are blue, profiteroles, and hedgehogs. See, isn’t this nice? We’re getting to know each other! Things really are much better when I have the gun. We ought to do this more often.”
Jun tracked Theo’s hand as he gestured between them with the barrel. He pointed it back at Jun, fingertips tapping the stock as he considered his next question. “Butter or jam? On your toast.”
Some of the tension in the hard line of Jun’s shoulders began to dissolve. He took a small step closer to Theo, voice quiet. “Butter.”
Theo hummed, unsurprised. Jun had that buttered-toast look about him. “I like both, with some sugar sprinkled on top for crunch. Ari thinks that’s disgusting, but he never could appreciate my genius in the kitchen.”
Jun’s face tightened at Ari’s name. He took another step toward Theo, this one slightly larger than the first.
Adjusting his grip on the gun, Theo resisted the urge to back away. Even without the gun, Jun’s shoulder holster lent him an air of danger that pressed in on Theo like an electric charge in the room. Or perhaps that was just Jun himself, bringing the promise of a storm wherever he went.
Theo had always enjoyed stormy weather.
He scanned Jun’s face and forced himself not to linger on those full lips as Jun licked them nervously. They really were quite distracting.
Now, pointing the gun at him as if it were a stick of chalk and he was calling upon a student in his lecture hall, Theo asked, “How old are you?”
Jun’s nose scrunched with irritation in a manner that Theo didn’t hesitate to label adorable. “What does it matter?”
His arms grew tired from holding out the gun, and Theo shifted with discomfort. Jun gave no sign of answering, so Theo gave his answer first in encouragement. “I’m nearly twenty-four. My brother and I completed our degrees in acceleration. I’ve been reliably informed that we’re remarkably intelligent, though I have provided a staggering amount of evidence to the contrary.”
Jun’s hands twitched at his side as he stepped closer, boots gliding silently across the metal floor. “Twenty-eight.” He started to lift his arm from his side, feet planted, knees bending.
With a sharp inhale, Theo sensed an electric storm approaching, building across his skin until he buzzed with it. “Alright, fine. I suppose I should ask more relevant questions as well. Why did you take me? What kind of help do you need from me?”
Jun paused, then slid one leg in front of him, still bent slightly at the knee. He was definitely measuring the distance between them, adjusting his stance. His voice dropped even lower, just above a mumble. “I need you to translate something.”
A smile lit up Theo’s face, transfixing Jun in the bright burst of happiness. “I would be delighted! I adore a good translation project. But, why didn’t you just bring it with you? I likely could have translated it there at my desk. You could even have enjoyed waving your gun about. I’m beginning to see why you like it so.” Theo brandished the weapon in demonstration, bringing the muzzle near his own head.
Jun’s shoulders jerked as he followed the movement. “I couldn’t risk bringing it across the Verge,” he said. “It’s too important.”
The low buzz of the charge made Theo’s fingers ache, so he switched hands on the trigger. Jun jolted at the motion and pressed his lips into a tight line. “Intriguing indeed,” Theo said. “Now, what else did I want to know? I think it’s fairly obvious you aren’t a morning person. Oh! Do you have any hidden talents? Art, music”—he scanned down Jun’s well-defined muscular body thoughtfully—“dancing?”
Jun’s scowl developed an edge of petulance that Theo struggled not to find charming.
