signaling his interest loud and clear to the point that a passing Eunnoian would laugh at his cluelessness?
Would a touch on the arm, on the chest, be considered offensive at this moment or welcome? Or laughably virginal? What about a kiss? He hadn't seen any of the Eunnoian couples kiss. Were they reserved or was it something that was simply not done? His mind was spinning with conflicting thoughts, and somewhere in the tangle he remembered the Eunnoian couple from the Idea Room so long ago, one stroking his lover's throat, and Gabriel's own fingers twitched at his side as he debated whether or not to mimic the gesture.
And hell, what if it was welcome, then what? Would Jhuun expect to be invited inside Gabriel's quarters? How the hell were they supposed to have sex when Gabriel couldn't even figure out—
He wanted to grab the tall being in front of him and kiss that strange mouth, tell him he wanted more, wanted him. And at the same time, he remembered the shock of watching Section 26 erupt in a fireball on the screen, the thought that Marcus' ship had exploded in much the same way and…no.
The only reason he was even considering pursuing Jhuun was because of the fear, the adrenaline, making him jumpy and bold. When reason returned, he would regret his actions.
"Thank you for walking me back," Gabriel said. "I'll go get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
Jhuun blinked slowly. "Very well. I will contact you when the Fnorn weaponry arrives. Goodnight, Gabriel."
Was that disappointment he detected in Jhuun's otherwise melodic voice? He didn't take the time to dwell on it, shuffling backward into his quarters and gently closing the door behind him, holding his breath until he heard Jhuun's retreating footsteps down the hallway.
He breathed out slowly. Definitely for the best to end things before they'd begun, before he'd had a chance to make a complete and utter fool of himself, ignorant as he would be in front of a naked, amorous Eunnoian.
Gabriel flexed his aching shoulder and reached for the back pocket of his shorts. He felt the round, hard rental chit that Kurt had given him. He'd kept it close by, telling himself he would pop down to the Specialty shop after a shift to get an action movie or a video game to play in between shifts. Just that and nothing else. Because it was not needed.
He pulled out the chit and sighed. Or was it?
Gabriel's shoulder, though still stiff, felt much better by the time he woke up, six hours after getting dropped off to his quarters by Jhuun. He still had plenty of time before his next shift started, and as Jhuun had pointed out, they would not be making much progress until their new equipment arrived.
With this in mind, Gabriel quickly showered and dressed, leaving the engineering belt on his bed, and patted the front of his short-sleeved shirt to make sure the rental chit was still there.
He left his quarters, glancing up and down the corridor to see if Jhuun or Bianca or Xhani were around, but there was no one to be seen. He boarded the lift alone and was soon joined by two men wearing red operations and communications belts. Both appeared glum as they discussed the morning's recent broadcast, declaring the destruction of Section 26 and the subsequent destruction of the captured M-Alpha.
Though Gabriel felt a pang at the thought of Section 26, he smiled to himself as he thought of the M-Alpha sitting safely in the workshop. He hoped the Maedrom had overheard the broadcast, too.
He stepped off the lift as it reached the common level, striding past the cafeteria and into the Idea Room. It wasn't very crowded, to Gabriel's relief. A small group of Eunnoians were sharing breakfast by the viewport, and three Human women were laughing heartily as they played a board game at a nearby table.
No one paid him any attention as he walked
into the Specialty shop.
The shop was very much
Would a touch on the arm, on the chest, be considered offensive at this moment or welcome? Or laughably virginal? What about a kiss? He hadn't seen any of the Eunnoian couples kiss. Were they reserved or was it something that was simply not done? His mind was spinning with conflicting thoughts, and somewhere in the tangle he remembered the Eunnoian couple from the Idea Room so long ago, one stroking his lover's throat, and Gabriel's own fingers twitched at his side as he debated whether or not to mimic the gesture.
And hell, what if it was welcome, then what? Would Jhuun expect to be invited inside Gabriel's quarters? How the hell were they supposed to have sex when Gabriel couldn't even figure out—
He wanted to grab the tall being in front of him and kiss that strange mouth, tell him he wanted more, wanted him. And at the same time, he remembered the shock of watching Section 26 erupt in a fireball on the screen, the thought that Marcus' ship had exploded in much the same way and…no.
The only reason he was even considering pursuing Jhuun was because of the fear, the adrenaline, making him jumpy and bold. When reason returned, he would regret his actions.
"Thank you for walking me back," Gabriel said. "I'll go get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
Jhuun blinked slowly. "Very well. I will contact you when the Fnorn weaponry arrives. Goodnight, Gabriel."
Was that disappointment he detected in Jhuun's otherwise melodic voice? He didn't take the time to dwell on it, shuffling backward into his quarters and gently closing the door behind him, holding his breath until he heard Jhuun's retreating footsteps down the hallway.
He breathed out slowly. Definitely for the best to end things before they'd begun, before he'd had a chance to make a complete and utter fool of himself, ignorant as he would be in front of a naked, amorous Eunnoian.
Gabriel flexed his aching shoulder and reached for the back pocket of his shorts. He felt the round, hard rental chit that Kurt had given him. He'd kept it close by, telling himself he would pop down to the Specialty shop after a shift to get an action movie or a video game to play in between shifts. Just that and nothing else. Because it was not needed.
He pulled out the chit and sighed. Or was it?
Gabriel's shoulder, though still stiff, felt much better by the time he woke up, six hours after getting dropped off to his quarters by Jhuun. He still had plenty of time before his next shift started, and as Jhuun had pointed out, they would not be making much progress until their new equipment arrived.
With this in mind, Gabriel quickly showered and dressed, leaving the engineering belt on his bed, and patted the front of his short-sleeved shirt to make sure the rental chit was still there.
He left his quarters, glancing up and down the corridor to see if Jhuun or Bianca or Xhani were around, but there was no one to be seen. He boarded the lift alone and was soon joined by two men wearing red operations and communications belts. Both appeared glum as they discussed the morning's recent broadcast, declaring the destruction of Section 26 and the subsequent destruction of the captured M-Alpha.
Though Gabriel felt a pang at the thought of Section 26, he smiled to himself as he thought of the M-Alpha sitting safely in the workshop. He hoped the Maedrom had overheard the broadcast, too.
He stepped off the lift as it reached the common level, striding past the cafeteria and into the Idea Room. It wasn't very crowded, to Gabriel's relief. A small group of Eunnoians were sharing breakfast by the viewport, and three Human women were laughing heartily as they played a board game at a nearby table.
No one paid him any attention as he walked
into the Specialty shop.
The shop was very much
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