Imposition

Imposition Read Online Free PDF Page B

Book: Imposition Read Online Free PDF
Author: Juniper Gray
to the chest, turning quickly and stalking away towards the exit.
    * * * *
    They'd gone their separate ways to shower and cool off—their chosen quarters were on the same level but quite far apart, having decided it was probably pointless them living side-by-side on an empty ship. And this way they gave each other space. It was part of their system for when one of them inevitably pissed the other off. There would be a reasonable amount of time allotted for sulking, then everything had to be forgotten. Therse liked that they had such an easy relationship despite being such fundamentally different people.
    He waved his way through the door to Gen's quarters, thinking maybe it was time to tell Gen about the letter he'd been avoiding talking about all day. “Hey Gen, I...what are you wearing that for?"
    Gen was standing in front of his bedroom mirror-screen, dressed head-to-toe in full Navy regalia save for his cap, which still lay on the bed beside him. He turned side-on and straightened his shoulders, jutting out his chin and pushing his hair away. Therse felt under-dressed next to the figure in beautiful deep-blue.
    "I haven't worn this since we graduated. How come we never get to go on any parades? All the others from the academy do."
    "Because the places we've been posted, no one cares about parades,” Therse replied, leaning back against the wall of Gen's decidedly messy quarters. “You should take that off, you'll only ruin it."
    "What are you, my mother?” Gen said, but started to remove his clothes all the same. Fancy gold-rimmed buttons were popped neatly through stiff uniform button holes by pristine white gloved hands. He shrugged the jacket off. The shirt beneath it lay perfectly over his broad shoulders, somehow still crisp and white despite their travels.
    Therse realized he was staring, and corrected himself. “Won't be long ‘til we see them all again, and you can complain to their faces then.” He remembered their friends with a fond smile. They'd almost been a small command unit in their own right at the academy—Mal, their leader, a strong-willed and charismatic woman on whom they'd all depended, and Byrn, her responsible second-in-command, had kept the rest of them united despite everyone having such broad interests. If it hadn't been for Mal, Therse would never have known any of them, especially Gen.
    "Yeah,” Gen smiled. “It'll be good to see them; it's been too long. You think they'll have changed much?” He was halfway down the buttons of his shirt. His warm, fair skin showed through where the shirt had begun to part.
    "Hard to say. It's not really been long enough, so I guess probably not."
    "I'd laugh my ass off if we come back and find Mal's turned into some wrinkled old prune."
    "That's not how physics works, but even so she'd still be able to punch your face straight off your skull."
    "No doubt. Mal was the only one at the academy I was actually afraid of."
    Therse snorted a laugh. “Same here."
    Gen pulled his shirt off at the cuffs, folding it in an odd display of affection. He placed it on the bed on top of his jacket and smoothed the folds out, brow furrowing slightly. Therse had an inkling as to what was on his mind. It was a while since Gen had been back home. Back to Earth.
    "How's your mom?” Therse asked.
    Gen looked up at him as though his train of thought had been interrupted but not necessarily derailed. He made a sort of sideways nod and rubbed at the place where his shoulder met his neck. A self-comforting gesture. A gesture Therse had seen many times before. “Fine, fine. She's a bit...you know...since Dad...” He broke off and looked at his uniform again, frowning.
    The son of a soldier. The son of a proud father.
    "You going to holo-call her when we get on leave? Spend some time with her?” Therse said, changing the subject slightly.
    "I dunno, haven't really decided yet."
    "You should talk to her. You know she misses you.” Therse only realized the hypocrisy of his
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