Page 12 of Felix

“Hey, buddy,” I say, grabbing the specialized pellets I get for him from a local pet store. Arthur is a small hermit crab, so I crush them a bit before putting the pieces inside his shallow food bowl. He perks up, shell popping out of the sand as his beady little eyes take stock of the situation. I chuckle. “You’re a weirdo, you know that?”

Arthur scuttles closer, his tiny orange legs carrying him across the terrarium.

I sigh. “Of course I would find you cute—the least cuddly pet on the planet. You’re basically an armored spider.”

He doesn’t seem to have an opinion on that. Arthur simply waits until my hand is out of his tank, and then he scurries over to investigate the food. He sifts through the broken-up pellets for a moment before pausing. I swear he looks at me as if to say this again?

“You’ll get something fresh tonight,” I assure him. “Watermelon?”

Arthur gives me his back, and I roll my eyes.

“Diva.”

Checking the time on my phone, I head for the door. The studio is about a twenty-minute drive from where I live. The building itself is entirely nondescript. If you didn’t know what it was, you might assume it was a warehouse. I let myself in through the coded door, confused, at first, as to why it smells like a spice cupboard exploded in here. But then I catch sight of the festive fall display someone decorated the entryway in.

A few of my coworkers are mingling in the hall as I pass. I shoot them a little wave before heading into Studio 1, where our meeting will be held. Several of the performers are inside already, and Teddy holds up his hand in greeting. I head his way, eyeing the table of bagels and other breakfast foods as my stomach rumbles.

“Hey,” the bigger man greets. Teddy is in his mid-thirties, a stockier guy with muscle. His brown hair, beard, and abundance of chest hair lends credence to his teddy bear persona. But from what I’ve heard—mainly from Teddy’s husband Kipp, who doesn’t seem to possess a filter—the man is a lot kinkier than his gentle smile and easygoing presence would suggest.

Not that I’m one to judge. I let my neighbor watch me masturbate.

“Hey, Teddy.”

“How’s it going?” he asks. “Settling in at the new place all right?”

I manage not to blush as my thoughts shift to C.

“Yeah,” I tell him, clearing my throat. “It’s finally starting to feel like home.”

Doesn’t hurt that the walls aren’t bare anymore, and I’ve stopped stubbing my toe on the damn kitchen island.

A flash of blonde appears in my peripheral vision, followed immediately by a voice I know all too well. “How’s my favorite crab daddy?”

“Alex,” I groan, my insides squishing as my coworker hugs me tight.

“Having crabs is nothing to be ashamed of, Emil,” the tiny troublemaker says, stepping back and looking around. “Where’s Kipp?”

“Work,” Teddy says, a soft smile on his face that seems reserved for his husband. Kipp doesn’t work here at the studio, but he’s been hanging around a lot lately, sometimes even watching Teddy while he films.

Husband goals.

Alex pouts. “Darn it. I miss my Kipper.”

“Your?” Teddy asks, lips twitching in amusement.

“He was mine first, Teddy Bear,” Alex claims.

“Actually,” Niko cuts in, his long, curly hair tied up in a bun, “Kipp was mine first.”

Alex waves him off. “Semantics. There’s plenty of Kipp to go around.”

“He would so love this conversation,” Teddy mumbles.

“Everyone?” Nathaniel calls, standing inside the door in his typical argyle and khakis. “Seats, please. We’re going to get started.”

“You know,” Alex says, winding his arm around my own and leading me over to the chairs, “I met this really cute guy the other day. He’s new at Rowan’s garage.”

Rowan, one of Alex’s boyfriends, is a mechanic. Their other boyfriend, Finn, does software development. When I first met the two, I thought it’d be the other way around. Rowan is the shy, quiet type, whereas Finn… Well, he’s covered in tattoos, piercings, and has flaming red hair.

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