(GQ #13) Adventures in Spacepunk

2. Puzzling Pairs

Lorenzo stood in the barren living room of Galhardo Residence #15 for what should be the last day anyone in the family would be there. His brother tested that by rediscovering a growing list of things he wanted to take with him, none of which being the thing he dragged Lorenzo here for.

"Emil, the next shuttle to Lunaria arrives at 12:05." He picked up a cartoon head on a spring left on one of the many hats Emil owned but rarely wore. "We can collect the rest of your belongings later."

"Ooh~ Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!" His brother's voice rang from the room at the back of the hall.

Lorenzo sighed, trudging toward it. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"Found my jacket." Red and blue star-shaped glasses nearly collided with his face when Emil poked his head out of the room. "Whoops." The rest of him stepped out and tugged on an oversized jacket inaccurately styled after older, bulkier Interstellar Forces spacesuits. "How's it look?"

"It looks like stolen valor." Lorenzo voiced his disdain.

"Well, it's a good thing we're star rangers." Emil winked, reaching out for the spring toy, then placed it in his jacket pocket. "I'm ready when you are."

"Good. Do you have your wallet?"

"Almost forgot! Thanks." After snatching it off of his dresser, he tried and failed to fit it into his jumpsuit pocket. He tried again. "You'd think they'd make these bigger. Almost there..."

"You can focus on that on our way to the shuttle." Lorenzo headed toward the front door.

"Hey, wait uuup!"

Public transport was never Lorenzo's favorite method of travel. It left him too open, yet confined. Strangers sat all around, but not enough to truly blend in. Making his way down the aisle, he felt more eyes on him than usual.

He scanned for a seat in the back, but all of them had been filled, leaving him and Emil with the next closest row. Stars twinkled from beyond the window seat. Soon, he'd be back in his element and steering among them again.

"Excuse me, young man?"

Lorenzo jolted out of his stargazing to face the voice behind him.

"Aha, did I startle you?" An old woman chuckled, the teenager beside her only briefly looking up from her phone. "I was just going to tell you that you have a nice cape.'"

In a brief moment of panic, Lorenzo forgot that he didn't accidentally wear his usual cape outside. A reflective capelet draped over him instead. With it, he wore a matching pair of glasses, an earpiece, and a brown, patterned jumpsuit. Far too flashy and form fitting for him normally, it suited the mission, and that was what mattered. "Th-Thank you, ma'am."

"Oh my, so polite. You must be popular with girls."

"I, um–" How did one normally respond to this?

"He's too modest to admit it." Arm over his seat, Emil came to his aid.

"Aww, I'm sure that's part of his charm. Cute hair by the way." She pointed at the red streak in his hair that he assured would be gone after the mission.

"Thanks, I grew it myself."

She laughed. "I feel like it's more often that girls are dressed in your style–what's it called?"

"Spacepunk." answered the teenager.

"Spacepunk, thank you dear. I see more girl spacepunks, I feel. Maybe that's just us liking to show off more. But you boys don't seem afraid to come off as flamboyant."