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try it."
       "I will now activate the M-Alpha," Jhuun said. With the flick of a switch, the weapon rippled dully with energy. Gabriel was getting sick of seeing the thing still alive and strong after all their efforts.
       "Now the kappaproton beam," Gabriel said, carefully pressing the button to activate the cannon.
       The four corners of the lozenge-shaped cannon began to glow and hum. The beams then slid down each side to connect the four corners and it was only the reading on the console that indicated to Gabriel that the beam of invisible kappaprotons was firing.
       At first, nothing at all happened and Gabriel was ready to scream a hearty Anarkh and order the devices switched off. But then the M-Alpha's amber glow began to flicker, steadily growing weaker. It didn't deactivate completely, but the power drop was enough to tell them one thing— the kappaproton beam was working.
       It was a step in the right direction. No, scratch that, it was a damned victory !
       "Okay, that's it, cut the power for now," Gabriel said and, as Jhuun obeyed, the M-Alpha hummed and grew quiet. Overjoyed, Gabriel practically leaped over the console, grinning like a fool as Jhuun smiled widely and rejoined Gabriel in the center of the workshop.
       "You saw?" Jhuun said, grasping Gabriel by the elbows. "You saw? We are approaching success!"
       "I saw!" Gabriel said. Before he realized it, he'd returned the embrace, squeezing the warm skin of Jhuun's forearms in his palms. "It didn't destroy it, but it's obviously vulnerable. We just need to try a few more modifications, try a test on a stronger scale…but we're getting there!"
       "Ma shara kha!"
       "You said it!"
       In his excitement, Gabriel hadn't realized how close he stood to Jhuun, practically body-to-body, enough to feel the warm exhalations from the vestigial gills. He tensed, remembering the intimacy of the previous day as Jhuun had let him touch his chest…and Gabriel's smile began to die on his lips. Jhuun was staring down at him, with unreadable green eyes.
       Pulse roaring, Gabriel was about to clear his throat, to release Jhuun's arms and extirpate himself from his companion's grasp, to bring their attention back to their project. But Jhuun, it seemed, had other ideas.
       His long-fingered hand slipped away from Gabriel's elbow, went to the back of his neck and pulled him close, into a shy kiss.
       It was obvious Jhuun had never kissed before— his lips were clumsy, moving uncertainly, but sweetly against Gabriel's own. Despite his surprise, Gabriel kissed back, shocked at how much he wanted this. He tasted Jhuun, so alien— like earth and water and something clearly not of his world.
       It was with a great deal of reluctance that he pulled away, taking a step away from Jhuun to compose himself. His mind was spinning—he was elated, but terrified at once.
       Jhuun, however, must have misinterpreted his gesture as rejection. "Apologies, apologies," he stammered, crossing his arms over his chest. "This was foolish of me. I assumed—perhaps incorrectly…I wanted to inform you of my interest. But you don't reciprocate, I understand. Apologies."
       "No, no, God no…"
       Now it was Gabriel's turn to stammer. God, Jhuun had kissed him. He had wondered, dreamed, fantasized about it for a while now. And it had felt damn good. And they weren't so fundamentally different after all. To suddenly be confronted with his fantasy as a reality was…absolutely fucking terrifying. Not to mention thrilling.
       "Apologies," Jhuun said again. "This was not appropriate of me. You must still care for Marcus, I meant no disrespect."
       The mention of Marcus' name only made Gabriel's head spin quicker. Damn it, everything was much simpler as a fantasy instead of reality. "No, it's not like that. It's…look, I do reciprocate. I've… reciprocated for a while now."
       Jhuun's look of relief was nearly comical. "I was