Two Officers - One Heart

Chapter 1 - High-Speed Chasing

Luminix sat in the co-pilot's seat aboard his partner's Space Cruiser and scrolled through an article on his phone. The article was about rumors of a robbery that was to take place at the Tethoscape very soon. Luminix was so focused on the article that he didn't realize another person was on board.

"What are you lookin' at, hm?" Luminix jumped at the sudden voice. He turned around and locked eyes with his work partner, Captain Joe. The SpaceGuard officer was leaning against one of the back seats and smiling widely.

Luminix shrugged and looked at his phone. "Just an article, is all. Rumors are going around that some big robbery will occur at the Tethoscape." Although it was quite easy for rumors to spread, rumors about crimes always worried Luminix. He didn't like hearing things and not knowing if they might be true or not, especially if they were about something dangerous.

"Of course. When are there not rumors going around?" Joe said, rolling his eyes. He put his hand on Luminix's shoulder, which sent a weird shiver through Luminix's body.

Luminix squirmed a little before turning his head away. "Yeah, it's easy for rumors to spread..." When Joe took his hand off Luminix's shoulder, Luminix felt his body heat up. The feeling was unfamiliar, one he'd never experienced before. His thoughts raced as he tried to understand the feeling, but failed to do so. What could this feeling be? Is it dangerous? Is it positive? Or am I sick? 

"Luminix? ... LUMINIX!" Joe's voice snapped Luminix out of his thoughts. Luminix looked at his partner with a blank stare.

Joe looked a little concerned but shook his head. "I was telling you what our mission is today. We're supposed to go to the Tethoscape and patrol in disguise. I know the mission is based on rumors, but we have to be safe."

"Right. What are we using as disguises, though?" Luminix asked. He never liked wearing casual clothing because...Well, he was insecure about his body. The details were ones that Luminix wished not to dwell on. He especially didn't like to wear short-sleeved shirts or shorts. And never in his life had he ever gone shirtless, either on runs or when swimming.

Joe stood up and smirked. "We're going casual for this one, buddy. There's nothing you can do about it." Luminix's heart sank. But Joe was right; He couldn't back down. Luminix wasn't the one to disobey orders, no matter how uncomfortable they might be. All Luminix could do was wear the disguise and hope that no one would notice him too much. Joe threw a bag at Luminix, and Luminix caught it perfectly. He opened the bag carefully and looked inside. There was a dark green long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. At least the clothing would cover his limbs fully. What he didn't like was the long white socks and gray sneakers. Luminix always preferred boots and felt that socks just didn't look good on him. He usually wore boots to cover the socks up. He looked up when Joe tapped his shoulder with one hand and held a pair of cowboy boots in the other. Luminix happily traded the sneakers for the boots. He slipped the boots on his feet, and to his surprise, they were a perfect fit. Luminix looked up to see Joe with a white T-shirt, gray sweatpants, and the white socks and gray sneakers that Luminix had given him.

"You look...good." The words seemed to slip out of Luminix's mouth without him noticing until it was too late. He cringed after speaking and knew that he had sounded a little too dreamy.

Joe, however, didn't seem to take much notice. "Heh, thanks. I think I happen to look good in any outfit." Luminix chuckled at his partner's playful tone, though deep down, he agreed with the statement. He decided not to think about it too much, though.

"Is that it, then?" Luminix asked.

"No, I have one more thing...These!" Joe pulled out two black earbuds. "Put one in your ear. It'll allow us to communicate with each other." Luminix took one of the earbuds and stuck it in his ear. He pressed a button in the center of it and he heard a robotic voice say "Connected". Luminix looked up and gave Joe a thumbs-up.