Blogging From A to Z is a blog challenge where participants post a new item every day (except Sundays), where every item relates to the appropriate letter of the alphabet. You can find out more over at http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
Story: Arkadian
Rating: G
Word Count: 451
If there was one thing Paradigm was a sucker for, it was a beautiful figure. Curves in all the right places, stunning good looks, the works. She was gorgeous.
“You’re thinking about stealing that ship, aren’t you?”
“You’re thinking about stealing that ship, aren’t you?”
Paradigm leant his forehead against the cool glass that separated him from the object of his desire and sighed. “I‘m not.”
“Your heart rate has spiked, your breathing has quickened. I don’t have to stand right next to you to know your palms are sweating. Oh, and don’t forget, when I first met you, you were stealing a ship.”
Years later and Maxim still wouldn’t let him live it down. He couldn’t exactly claim it was a one-off either: it was the whole reason Maxim had contacted him in the first place and oh, how he sometimes wished he’d never heard that self-satisfied voice broadcast through the Mayor of the Three Worlds’ stolen ship.
He sighed again, breath clouding the glass, and the dark chuckle down the neural link that Maxim had insisted was such a good idea made this sigh even heavier. “Want some help?”
Paradigm froze, mid-breath. “What?”
“You heard me.”
In his mind’s eye he could see Maxim’s perfect lips curving into a perfect, irritating smile as he spoke. Carefully, he said, “you’ve never volunteered before.”
“You always stole things at inconvenient times before.” This time Paradigm could hear the innocent shrug Maxim was no doubt performing. It was no surprise Maxim had an expressive voice; the man had spent half his life without a body so Paradigm assumed it was only to be expected. “Do you want my help or not?”
Briefly he toyed with the idea of saying ‘not’, just to hear Maxim’s reaction, then relented. “Go on then.”
“You were going to say no, weren’t you?”
He’d hoped his hesitation wouldn’t be caught. Obviously he’d forgotten who he was talking to. “Yes.” No point in lying, Maxim would spot that just as easily. “I mean, won’t Kse object?”
Joyful laughter filled his head and set his teeth on edge. “But you’re the one stealing it, not me.”
There was that, yes, and if Paradigm was caught he’d be the one taking all of the blame.
“And anyway,” Maxim continued, “I’d got no intention of telling her. Why, did you?”
Paradigm remembered the first time he’d met Kse. It was hard to forget. The scar she’d given him stood out even among all his others; just thinking about her fury made it itch. “Hell no.”
“Good.” The self- satisfaction returned to Maxim’s voice. “So, are we stealing this ship, or what?”
It looked like, whether Paradigm really wanted it or not, the answer was going to be yes.
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