The questionable dynamics of Vitality was the one thing that had Nuri hesitating to send his siblings there years ago. It was one of the only known planets in all of the universe that was ruled by both a known criminal organization and the governing Imperial family.
Nuri didn’t have any personal experience with mafia members, but he’d heard stories about the original Brumal, dangerous people who ruled another planet in a different galaxy. Apparently, the ones on Vitality had originally come from there as well, having branched off some generations ago to start anew. How they’d gotten into bed with the Imperials was a mystery, but the how didn’t matter so much as the fact that they had.
For some unknown reason, the Intergalactic Conference didn’t do anything about it. They’d even built an Academy there, another abnormality. Academies were schools where trainees set on joining the Intergalactic Police Force, or the I.P.F, were sent. There was one in most galaxies, with theirs being one of the last to have been put in operation.
Vitality was now home to future I.P.F agents as well as Brumal Mafia members and was ruled by the shady Diar Imperial family. If not for the fact Vail University, also located there, was considered the top school in the Dual galaxy, Nuri most definitely would have refused to send his siblings there.
Nate had graduated last year and now Neve had followed, yet the two of them had both opted to remain on Vitality instead of returning to Ignite. Nuri would be lying if he said he wasn’t bummed out about that, but since they were both adults and hadbeen forced to take care of themselves in his absence, he’d felt it wasn’t his place to order them back. When Neve had planted the seed for him to move instead…He’d played with the idea, but the two of them were only fresh in the workforce, with no guarantee that either would be able to maintain a job long enough to make a real living.
Nuri had convinced himself to shelve the idea of moving planets for their benefit. Despite his jab at Silver the other day, he got paid extremely well for his job. Well enough to easily continue supporting the three of them financially. He’d be a fool to give that up on a whim, no matter how badly he missed Nate and Neve.
And if Silver somehow came to play in that decision as well? Nuri had easily lied to himself and buried that truth whenever it’d bobbed its way to the surface.
“If this isn’t anything serious,” Nate’s solemn expression pulled Nuri from his thoughts and back to their conversation, “then how about putting an end to it? If all you wanted was to try out something you’ve been thinking about since high school, then haven’t you succeeded? There’s no reason for you to continue sleeping with him, especially not in such a risky manner.”
“What do you mean?”
Nate rolled his eyes. “Come on. I saw, remember? He was in full Swift form. If you’d slept with him while he was like that—”
Nuri held up a hand, stopping him as bile rose up the back of his throat and an unsettling feeling overtook him. His skin prickled uncomfortably, in part because he’d been too distracted by it all to make that connection on his own, but also because an image of Silver’s blue horns hovering over him flashed in his mind.
“What’s wrong?” Nate grabbed onto his shoulder, but seeing his panic helped snap Nuri out of it enough he collected himself.
“We didn’t,” he found himself saying, trying to ignore the fact the reassurance was every bit as much for his brother as it was meant for himself. “Not like that.”
“Yeah, because I interrupted.” Nate scowled. “You should be thanking me right now. If a Swift comes inside of you—”
Nuri slapped a hand over his mouth. “That is enough of that.”
He pulled away. “I’m not a child, brother. I know what sex is. I’ve partaken in the act myself.”
“My sex life isn’t something you need to concern yourself with,” he said. “And for the record, I literally never want to hear about yours.”
“But I am,” Nate insisted, “concerned. I don’t want to see you get hurt. If he’s just messing around with you—”
“We’re both using each other.” Technically, it wasn’t a lie. Since they’d agreed to play a game, each of them with their own desires on the line, they were sort of using one another.
“I know how you feel about him,” Nate lowered his voice a second time, at least having the good sense to do so. “How you’ve always felt about him. Why put yourself through this if you don’t believe it’s going to go anywhere real?”
“How I feel about him?” Nuri snorted. “I admit I’ve always been attracted to him, but—”
“You’re an idiot.” Nate slumped in his chair.
“I told you,” he said, patting his brother on the head the way he used to when he’d been little, “it’s nothing serious. We were curious so we tried it out, that’s all. You don’t have to worry.”
“Prove it,” Nate returned to his regular speaking voice, cluing Nuri to the fact he was willing to drop it and not continueto push the issue. “Since I saw you and you seem fine, I made plans with a friend. It’s been so long since I was last on planet so there are some people I want to catch up with before I leave. That’s all right, isn’t it? If you’d prefer me to stay with you, I can.”
“No,” the tension eased from his shoulders knowing they were past the awkward portion of their conversation, “no of course not. Go. Have fun.”
“Aren’t you curious who I’m going to be seeing?”
Nuri pretended to consider it. “You were pretty popular if I recall. What’s wrong? Are you disappointed I’m not asking for their parents' contact information? Should I also pack you a bagged lunch and some snacks? A juice box, perhaps?”
“Shut up.” Nate bumped his shoulder against Nuri’s, hard enough to jostle him. “While it’s true you have a super cool, super popular brother, you actually know the person I’m going to meet up with.”
“Oh?” He’d met a handful of Nate’s high school friends before he’d left for university, but Nuri didn’t really remember any of them. At the time, he’d been more focused on easing into his position as secretary and adjusting to the adult world to bother with details like that. He’d done what he needed to in order to be sure whoever Nate was with, he was safe and making decent choices, and that was about it.
“Jeban M’dy.”
