The moment was burned into his memory. He would do anything to see it again. Theo was capable of doing many, many things.
He drew breath to speak, only to choke it back, shocked when Jun started first, speaking without prompting.
“I haven’t heard Korean spoken in a long time. Not since my parents—” Jun turned abruptly away to face the view screen. “Heirloom languages are rare out here. Everyone just speaks Standard, Patch, or Grunt.”
Theo had heard of Patch and Grunt, usually spoken of in a derogatory manner in academic circles. They were the languages used by Outliers beyond the Verge. Raiders, in particular, were rumored to speak Grunt. Theo had always been fascinated by the possibility of learning more about them. Resources on both languages had been exceedingly scarce, even in the linguistics department.
There was no such thing as an uncivilized language, in his opinion. Only fools let their own ignorance and prejudice sway their minds away from new experiences.
Poetry existed in every language. As did expressions of love.
And, really, what could be more civilized than that?
Jun was still observing him cautiously, and Theo rushed to fill the silence. (Ari had always said that no silence was safe from Theo’s interference, and he had always been correct. If slightly condescending.) “Gaelic was my first heirloom. My mother was bilingual; it was her parents’ heirloom language. I only spoke Standard in school, of course. But I sought out other heirlooms, started collecting any I could find. On Britannia, it is still traditional to speak heirloom in the home and Standard in public areas. It was not especially hard to find a variety of languages to learn. Though my family did grow somewhat confounded when I began to speak them all at once.”
Confounded, irritated, overwhelmed. Those terms rather defined most of his parents’ reactions to Theo, actually.
Jun ran his fingers lightly over the buttons in front of him, his voice so soft it was almost shy. “Patch is like that. A whole bunch of heirlooms mixed up and stitched together into a hideous old quilt.”
Theo grinned, the chair creaking ominously as he leaned forward with excitement. “That’s what you’ve been cursing in all along, isn’t it? I’ve caught bits and pieces of it, and it’s only left me craving more. You’ll have to teach me; everything I’ve heard so far was absolutely delightful.”
Jun responded with something in Patch that definitely called into question Theo’s standards for delight.
Theo threw back his head, laughter bubbling up and over like an overfull kettle on boil. “Oh, Ari will simply wilt with despair when he hears I’ve picked up a new language so diverting to curse in.”
Jun gave Theo a solemn expression, all traces of amusement washed away. “You miss him. Your Ari.”
Theo sighed, pulling his hair free from the braid and starting it over again just to give his fingers something to do. Something to calm the wailing tide of fear and longing that washed over him at the mention of his twin. “More than you can imagine. I’ve never been apart from him for so long. We do everything together. I hardly know who I am without him by my side.”
A muscle jumped in Jun’s jaw as he turned his attention to the view screen. “I’ll bring you back.”
Theo stood from his seat and clasped his hands together excitedly as he bounced on his heels. “Oh, would you? I fear it’s been long enough now that he must be absolutely beside himself. He never was one to embrace a change in routine. Dedicated to his schedule, my Ari.”
Jun shook his head once, firmly, gaze flicking to Theo before returning to his screen. “When you’ve finished the translation, I’ll bring you back.”
Theo deflated into his chair, pulling anxiously on the braided lock of hair and sprawling in every direction in a manner Ari considered uncouth. “I see. Yes, of course. I suppose I have not yet served my purpose, have I? I apologize, but sometimes I do forget that I remain your captive. It isn’t always quite what one has been led to believe in books—captivity.”
Jun didn’t respond, tattooed fingers tapping on his screen with urgency for a matter of minutes while Theo braided and unbraided his hair. Jun finally lifted his hands from the screen. “It’s time to prepare for the jump. Strap in tight.”
He glanced over to check Theo’s harness and sighed loudly when he saw that it was twisted and undone, shoved to the side so Theo could drape a leg over his armrest. After clicking out of his own seat with brisk efficiency, Jun walked over to grab Theo by the shoulders and righted him in his seat.
Theo swallowed hard as firm hands settled his hips into place, moving him as if he were as light as a feather.
Theo was an absolute sucker for manhandling.
Jun appeared to know how to handle a man such as Theo.
The penchant wasn’t something Theo was proud of, but it was something that had him sucking in a sharp breath as Jun untangled the straps with a muttered Patch diatribe. A hard yank, securing Theo further in his seat, forced a noise out of him that should never have seen the light of day.
Jun’s startled eyes met his as his fist clenched tight on the strap over Theo’s chest. He released him, shoved away, and returned with half a stumble to his own seat. His ears, exposed by the close-shaven sides of his head, glowed red along the edges as he cleared his throat and strapped himself in.
Jun didn’t say anything as they approached the Verge, his focus on the shimmering barrier of swirling colors and impenetrable energy filling their view screen.
Theo’s breath caught at the sight; he had never been this close before, never seen it in person. The Verge was beautiful in the way that dangerous things could be beautiful sometimes,
