Page 115 of The Atom Between Us

The kids groan. The girl with the Authority uncle pouts. “Can’t he stay a little longer?”

“Orders are orders,” I say, stone-faced.

They grumble, but one by one they start to detach. Some slide down Kang’s arms, others jump off the crates and run giggling into the tunnels. The boy who’d grabbed his ears gives him a high-five on the way down, and Kang, after a microsecond of hesitation, returns it.

Within a minute, the rec area is empty except for me, Kang, and the girl with the mop of brown curls. She stands at the edge, hands on hips, appraising.

“You were the best Authority,” she announces to Kang, matter-of-fact. “You didn’t yell or shoot or anything. You just… held still.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Thanks,” he says.

She nods, satisfied, then vanishes into the tunnels.

Now it’s just us.

Kang stands, stretching the kinks out of his back. For the first time, I see how battered he is—sleeves rolled up, bruises blooming along his forearms, a fresh scrape on his knuckle. He looks down at his hands like he’s not sure how they got there.

I sit on the crate beside him. “You’re a hit,” I say, grinning.

He shakes his head. “I think they just liked climbing.”

I watch him, the way his whole body seems lighter after the kids leave, but not relaxed. Just—different. Like he’s still bracing for the impact, but it doesn’t hurt as much.

“You always like kids?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Don’t think about them much.” A pause, then: “They don’t care about the uniform. Or the history. They just want up.”

I consider that. “And you let them.”

Another shrug, but this one’s softer. “They weigh less than a gun. Easier to hold.”

It’s the closest thing to a joke I’ve ever heard from him. I can’t help it—I laugh. Not a snort, not a smirk, but a real laugh, loud and ridiculous, echoing off the ceiling.

Kang stares at me, bemused, and for a second I think he might laugh too. Instead, he looks away, mouth twisted in something between embarrassment and amusement.

I lean closer, my shoulder brushing his. “You’re not bad at this, you know,” I say. “Being a person.”

He gives me a sidelong look. “Don’t get used to it.”

But he doesn’t move away.

The rec area is empty now, the echo of laughter lingering in the air. I let myself enjoy the quiet, the weird afterglow of the scene.

Then Kang turns to me, voice low. “You ready for the party?”

I blink. “You want to go?”

He shrugs, almost sheepish. “Figured we should make an appearance.”

I stand, smoothing the dress over my hips. “You going to wear that?” I ask, pointing to his ruined uniform.

He glances down, then back up. “Didn’t have time to change.”

I grin, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket. “Maybe that’s for the best. Makes you easy to find in a crowd.”

He grins back, just a little. “You too.”

I let him lead the way, the two of us walking side by side into the tunnel. For a second, it almost feels like freedom.