Here comes the railgun.
The testing range had been cleared. An asteroid, roughly five kilometers wide, drifted silently in the empty dark beyond the outer edge of the stationâs perimeter.
Vermond stood at the command deck with Erie, Jard, Ruen, and the others gathered around the main console. A low hum surged through the stationâresonating in the floors, the walls, the bones of everyone aboard.
âTarget locked,â Erie said, eyes wide with anticipation.
Jardâs fingers hovered over the control panel. âThis⦠is gonna be loud.â
Vermond nodded once. âFire.â
The god-tier railgun unleashed.
A blinding light cut across the void, faster than thought. It pierced the asteroid in a blinkâand then, the explosion. It wasnât just soundless fury; it was beauty. A white and blue supernova bloomed where the asteroid had once been, a glorious blossom of destruction lighting up space itself.
The shockwave could be seen rippling outward, even through the void.
âCool down: 1,500 seconds,â the system chimed. Steam hissed from the ceiling vents as energy readings began to lower.
Everyone just stood there, mouths agape.
Erie finally broke the silence. âI think I just fell in love with a railgun.â
âLet it rest,â Vermond said. âWe all need to rest too.â
Later, the command room was quieter. The humming of systems and flickering data screens dimmed to a soft glow. Vermond laid down on the wide leather couch, one hand tucked behind his head, eyes half-shut. He needed to think. To breathe. To stop.
But then⦠he felt her again.
Soft footsteps. The faintest rustle of cloth.
Then warmth. Kiana slipped onto the couch with himâher body pressing against his like silk over fire. She didnât ask. She didnât need to. She simply crawled over him and laid face to face with him, the curve of her body molding perfectly into his, her arms gently circling his neck.
âBig brother,â she whispered, her breath dancing across his lips. âYou look tired.â
âI am,â he murmured, not opening his eyes. âJust⦠resting.â
Her legs tangled with his, bare feet brushing against his calves. Her fingers slowly traced the line of his jaw.
âYou always carry too much,â she said softly, âLet me carry you tonight.â
âKianaâ¦â
She smiled, eyes glowing with that same tender obsession. âI wonât do anything bad. Just let me hold you. Just let me be with you.â
He hesitated, but thenâhis arms wrapped around her waist. Their foreheads touched.
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No more words. Just silence. Heartbeats. Warmth.
She moved even closer, barely an inch between their lips now. âYou donât know how much I crave this,â she breathed. âTo feel you. To be this close. To make sure no one ever takes you from me.â
Then she buried her face in his neck, sighing contentedly. âLet the galaxy burn. As long as I have you like this, nothing else matters.â
Vermond closed his eyes. Maybe just for now⦠heâd let himself fall.
She pulled her face back just enough to gaze into his eyesâher green irises shimmering like stardust.
"Big brother..." she whispered, her lips brushing his. "Just one moment. Just one kiss. Please..."
Vermond's heart pounded. He wasnât sure if it was the power humming inside her, the strange force she had grown intoâor the intensity of her devotion that made the air so heavy.
Her hand cupped his cheek gently.
Her lips inched closer.
And thenâthe door hissed open.
"Hey, Vermondâwait. OH MY COSMIC STARS, THE GALAXY IS SOO VASTâ"
Erie stood in the doorway, holding a plate of snacks, mouth agape, eyes nearly falling out of his head.
Kiana froze, her body still draped over Vermondâs, their faces barely an inch apart.
Vermond didnât move.
Kiana, slowlyâvery slowlyâturned her head like a predator caught mid-pounce.
Erie just blinked. âIâIâll just⦠I didnât mean toâuhâ¦â
Vermond let out the deepest sigh in galactic history.
Kiana didnât get off him.
Erie waved the plate. âYou two hungry? Or⦠should I come back after youâre done playing âStare at My Brother Like Heâs the Last Piece of Cake in the Universeâ?â
âErie,â Vermond muttered.
âYeah, yeah, Iâm leaving!â Erie backed out dramatically, covering his eyes like a child walking past something cursed. âYou two need help. Therapy. Like, universal-grade therapy.â
The door hissed shut again.
A long silence followed.
Then Kiana chuckledâlow, melodic, and a little terrifying. She turned back to Vermond, eyes glowing with mischief now.
âWell, that was rude.â
Vermond didnât answer. He just stared at the ceiling, cheeks red.
Kiana leaned down again, forehead against his. âWhere were we?â
Vermond groaned quietly. âI donât even know anymoreâ¦â
âDonât worry, Big Brother,â she whispered. âI never forget.â
The silence returnedâwarm and electricâwhen Kianaâs fingers slid back along Vermondâs jaw. Her eyes, deep pools of green fire, searched his again, and her body pressed more closely against his, cradling him like he belonged only in her arms.
âBig brother,â she whispered with a breathy sigh, her lips brushing the corner of his mouth, âlet me show you how much I love you.â
Vermondâs hand twitched at her waist. His throat tightened. Every fiber of his being was torn between the comfort of her touch⦠and the chaos he could feel surging just beneath her calm surface.
Kiana moved in again, about to kiss himâ
SHHHHTâ
The door slid open again.
ââ¦Vermond? Are you here?â
It was Ruen.
Kiana froze mid-motion.
Vermond's soul left his body for half a second.
Ruen stepped in with a data tablet in hand, casually scrolling. âHey, I was just gonna give you an update on theââ
Then he looked up.
The silence in the room turned weaponized.
There was Kiana, lying completely on top of Vermond. Her arms still locked around his shoulders. Her expression? Annoyed. Lethally annoyed.
Vermond was trapped beneath her like a man who had just triggered a bomb by breathing too loud.
Ruen blinked, blinked again, then quickly turned around like a soldier facing a firing squad.
âI didnât see anything.â
Kianaâs voice echoed like the edge of a knife. âYou saw everything.â
âI didnât! I swear! My eyes are blind! My memory erased! I donât even know where I am right now!â
Kiana narrowed her eyes, slowly raising her handâjust enough for Ruen to see.
Ruen raised both arms. âIâm out! Iâm out!â
He ran.
Thud. Door closed.
Silence.
Vermond stared at the ceiling again, deadpan. ââ¦Iâm going to die.â
Kiana, slowly, deliberately, looked back down at him.
ââ¦Donât. Let them walk in again.â
Vermond chuckled, exasperated. âAt this point, I need a lock and a curse.â
Kiana leaned in. âThen curse it for me, Big Brother. Because Iâm not leaving this couch until you understand somethingâ¦â
Vermond arched a brow.
Kiana whispered against his lips, âYouâre mine.â
âI donât want you to run. Not from me.â She looked up, eyes shimmering. âIâm not some fragile girl, Vermond. Iâve seen what youâve done⦠what youâve become⦠and I still love you.â
He opened his mouth to speak, but she rose.
âIâve always loved you,â she said, pressing her forehead to his. âEven before the powers. Even before we knew what we were.â Her hands slid into his hair. âBut now⦠now I know exactly what I want.â
Vermondâs hands found her waist instinctively. âKiana⦠Iâm not sure I canââ
âYou can,â she interrupted, firm but soft. âBecause you already have. Every time you looked at me with those kind eyes.â
She leaned in, her breath hot against his ear. âYouâre mine, Big Brother. Mine. Say it.â
His heart thumped in his chest, louder than the engines of a cruiser. Her warmth, her scent, the way she felt so real in his armsâit was overwhelming.
âIâm yours,â he whispered.
Kianaâs lips crashed into hisânot gently, but like she had waited years to finally claim him. It wasnât just affectionâit was devotion, obsession, desperation. Her kiss deepened, and she pulled him closer, as if trying to melt into him, to become one.
They broke only for breath.
âIâll never let you go,â she said, cupping his face. âIâll follow you through black holes. Iâll kill gods if they try to take you. I donât care if the universe ends, as long as youâre with me.â
Vermond touched her cheek, a rare smile breaking through his usual guarded expression.
âI donât deserve you.â
Kianaâs eyes burned. âNo. You deserve more. But youâre mine now, and Iâll give you everything.â
She leaned forward again, and this time, when their lips met, it wasnât just passion. It was surrender.
The galaxy could wait.