Sang the Setari

1. Give 'Em Something to Talk About

The council's orders were to collect data on the Moonfall and return to Tare immediately. We were also placed under a semi-quarantine and a communication blackout. KOTIS really did not want any leaks about what had happened with the communication platform. The public relations division was scrambling together a strategy for disseminating news of such magnitude. There was a plethora of socio-political, historical and scientific implications. Another, much larger and extended expedition to Muina would be planned. Meanwhile, KOTIS still had its own normal challenges to deal with: preventing Ionoth incursions, cities busting at the seams in population and infrastructure, law enforcement, and a thousand other tasks.
*****

"Oy, this is shit. I can't access the new episode of Hidden War," Gabriel complained from his lounged position on the couch in his and Luke's shared apartment.

"You could update the virtual decor in here," Luke made a sweeping movement a with his free hand. In the other he clutched a bar of chocolate. I think he suspected that North would come in and steal it away at any den. "You haven't changed anything in here for awhile."

"Can't shop either, and the old application files are shit, too," Gabriel pouted.

I felt bad for Gabriel. We had been restricted to quarters for five kai now, except for physical fitness conditioning or combat training. Kota was content reading. Victor spent time playing and working on another Earth song I shared. North, Silas, and Nathan were either eating incredible amounts of food or lifting weights. The one time I joined them, I spent more time blushing at bare chests and arms, than doing any real weight training myself. I think Sean had been ushered off to MedBay by Ista Phillips and who knows what Tsee Blackbourne did to occupy himself. Though, I supposed he could be tending the roses. Luke and Gabriel had been playing games with me, but it was getting boring. I still had plenty of school modules to complete that I was avoiding. I sighed and opened up the Algebra practice problems waiting for me.

When I couldn't stand finding the value of the Taren 'X' any longer, I asked Luke and Gabriel if they wanted to watch old episodes of Super Sight Six with me.

"Sure. Are you caught up to the episode where Mari and Wilks finally fu...I mean hook up?" Gabriel asked.

"Hey! No spoilers," Luke admonished Gabriel with chop to the shoulder. He then immediately teleported to the other side of the room to avoid retaliation. Too bad he was distracted and Gabriel used telekinesis to relocate the chocolate to my lap. I took a bite and stuffed the rest down my bra. Gabriel made a choking noise and gave me wide eyes. What? I asked silently. He just shook his head and grinned widely.

"It's okay," I said, flipping through the list of archived episodes for the right one to put on the public display. "I watched that one already."

While we watched the show, Kota dropped off Second Shift meal and retreated back to his place for binge reading. We all ended up on the couch with me reclined in Luke's lap and my legs across Gabriel's lap.

I was starting to drift to sleep when Gabriel lightly smacked my thigh.

"This is why it's taking you so long to catch up to the current season of the show. You can barely stay awake through one episode!" He exclaimed.

Luke, who had been twirling a strand of my hair in his fingers suddenly stopped and asked, "Where is my chocolate?"

Gabriel and I both looked down at my chest and the telltale bulge in the center. I snapped back up to see Luke's gaze had followed ours. At first he frowned, but his confusion cleared and he glanced back up at my eyes with a surprised laugh.

"What's this? Hiding my chocolate like North now? Though, I think I like your hiding spot much better," his voice teased and his smile became predatory. Before I could react he swiped down the collar of my shirt and reached in to pluck out the candy bar tucked between my breasts.

"Oh!" I gasped softly.

He made sure to capture my gaze with half-lidded brown eyes. He held the chocolate bar up between our faces but maintained eye-contact. "Mmmm," he said then slowly licked up the length of the bar. Heat pooled in my center and my pulse ticked up.

"Hey, hey," Gabriel interrupted. "No seducing Trouble with me right here."

Oh Mylanta! Did he just say that!?!

Gabriel rubbed a hand down my thigh and matter-of-factly added, "Well, at least not if you're not going to invite me to join in."

My thoughts were little more than white noise as my heart raced and Luke swept down to capture my lips in a bruising kiss.

"My turn," Gabriel said as Luke pulled back. I just blinked in boneless shock as they adjusted and maneuvered so I was sitting straddled across Gabriel's thighs and Luke gently massaging my back. I continued to just stare at Gabriel's face with wide eyes. He winked and placed his hands on either side of my cheeks to pull me into a searing kiss. Luke swept my hair to the side and placed soft kisses on the back of my neck. I spent a few joden overwhelmed but enjoying this duel embrace, but when I was about to simply combust, I pushed back, placing a hand on both their chests.

"Wait! Stop. I mean...I just...need a den," I said breathlessly.

The boys moved back, giving me space.

"Sorry, Sang. Too much?" Luke asked.

I glanced back and forth between them and responded, "I am...just a little...confused." And completely turned on, just.....What is going on!?!!!???

Gabriel looked at Luke and said, "We have to tell her."

Luke returned Gabriel's gaze and asked dubiously, "You think that's best? Shouldn't we get...like Kota...or someone else in here, too?"

"Nah, she's already mildly freaking out...actually, I think its best if the two of us tell her," Gabriel replied.

My attention kept ping-ponging between them as they discussed revealing something to me. And it must be something big that involved even more than the two of them if they were considering bringing Kota out to talk to me.

"True. Kota would probably want to draw up charts and diagrams...You're right...go ahead," Luke said.

"Me?! What an I supposed to fucking say?" Gabriel questioned, with a trace of panic.

"Well...I don't know...like Hey, Ten, Peanut, Sang Baby, Pookie, Aggele mou, Princess, Trouble...we all like you and want to date you and eventually get married like First and Second Squad. We want you to be our Forever," Luke threw out with exasperation and sarcasm. Suddenly, he stopped and whirled me around to face him. "Shit! Sang, sorry I didn't mean to just dump it all on you like that!"

My confusion and trepidation over their quibbling erupted into unbelievable joy. Was it true!?!?? Did they all really feel that way?!??!

I abruptly threw my arms around him and he collapsed back on the couch with an 'ooompf', pulling me down with him.

"Uh, you alright Trouble?" Gabriel inquired, placing a hand on my back.

I pushed up, my top half hovering over Luke and our legs still somewhat awkwardly interlocked from my impulsive reaction. A wet drop splashed onto his chest and I swiped at my face to get rid of any other escaping tears.

"You're crying," Luke observed. Then his expression turned horrified. "Oh shit! Did we fuck up?!"

"No! No..." I tried to explain, "It's just that Raven told me..."

"Raven! He's with fucking Kayli...and
Corey...What the fuck does he want with you?!?" Gabriel demanded, jealousy lacing each word.

"Nothing! He was the one who told me about their Squad. How they all are with Kayli...and I....I wanted that, too...with you all....I just never thought....thought that you all wanted me too....that it was possible," I confessed.

"How could you believe we didn't want you?" Luke asked, truly perplexed.

"Haven't all of us...or I mean most of us...kissed you?" Gabriel inquired.

"Well, yes," I replied. My thoughts immediately flipped to Kota and Tsee Blackbourne. I was pretty confident Kota wanted to kiss me. Tsee Blackbourne was more distant, most of our interaction purely professional.

We were interrupted from further discussion by an alert calling us to a meeting. We parted ways to put on nanosuits, leaving my mind with plenty to think upon.