Page 13 of Gratification in Gluttony

“Shut up.”

“Sorry, we’re being serious. Very serious.” Toni doctored his expression into averysomber one. “So, you decided you didn’t want to be a girl no more, right?”

“I don’t think I was ever a girl,” Jude corrected with an arch to his brow. “I was always me, even if the world told me I couldn’t—orshouldn’t—be simply because of the body I was born into.”

“That’s fucking stupid,” Toni said, wincing at the indelicate delivery. “I mean, you should be able to be whoever the fuck youwanna be. Though I’m sorry you can’t just snap your fingers and be different. Or can you?”

With a snort, Jude shook his head. “I have to take hormones and get surgery and stuff to ‘be different.’ It’s actually a huge hassle.”

“Really? That blows.” Toni cocked his head, gaze sliding down to the dip of Jude’s throat where his button-up revealed the hint of smooth skin. “Like with your tits, you mean?”

Jude nodded.

“So, like, they just chopped ’em off?”

“Chop, chop, chop!” Jude said, popping hisp’s. “Tits be gone, bitch.”

“That’s fucking wild!” Toni said with a lazy grin. “Like, don’t get me wrong, I like tits just fine. But if you don’t want ’em, then, like, fuck them tits, you know?”

“Fuck them tits!” Jude hollered as he reached for the buttons of his shirt. “You wanna see my scars?”

Toni most definitely wanted to see Jude’s everything, so he nodded, his smile dropping quickly when Oliver intervened. He grabbed Jude’s hands and forced them away from where he’d been unbuttoning his shirt.

“Don’t take off your clothes!” he cried.

Jude scowled at him. “I’m just showing him my scars! God, what are you, my mother?”

“Yeah, are you his mother?” Toni echoed.

Oliver flipped them both off. “Shut up, Toni. You just want him to take off his clothes so you can sleep with him.”

“That’s offensive to my… dignity or something,” Toni sniffed haughtily, before dropping his voice to a purr as he said to Jude, “Though, baby, you fine as hell.”

Jude giggled. “Thank you. Oliver, Toni thinks I’m fine.”

Oliver pointed a wavering finger at Jude. “Do not fuck my co-worker, Jude!”

Pouting, Jude stumbled into Toni’s side, and Toni tightened his hold around the human’s shoulder, liking the way the smaller man fit against him. “Whatever. Just ’cause you haven’t had sex in eight months doesn’t mean the rest of us should suffer.”

“Eight months!” Gem shrieked, making Toni wince.

As the Araknis converged on Oliver, Toni guided Jude out of the way, not wanting to get caught up in what was surely going to be something dramatic and embarrassing. Because Gem was drunk and when Gem was drunk, shenanigans usually ensued.

Not that Toni had anything against shenanigans. He rather liked them, especially sexy shenanigans. He looked down at Jude who was watching Gem and Oliver and wondered if Jude liked sexy shenanigans.

Unfortunately, he never got the chance to ask because Gem and Oliver had a tumble with a Gymnot, which resulted in a failed attempt at wing-manning and lots of embarrassment for everyone involved. But mostly just Oliver. Toni was glad when they finally made it back to Gem’s flat.

He helped pass out the alcohol Gem retrieved from the cupboard above his fridge. Oliver snatched a bottle from his hand and brought it to his mouth, tipping it back and chugging it.

“I don’t think you should be doing that.” Toni tried to wrestle the bottle away, but Oliver pinned him with a hard look that was actually a little intimidating. For a human, at least.

“You can have this,” Oliver slurred, “if you can pry it from my cold, dead fingers.”

“Well, that was uncalled for,” Toni said as Oliver stumbled away, collapsing on the couch beside Willow.

As the alcohol flowed, the night sputtered forward in lurches and starts. At some point, Toni ended up perched on the armrest of the couch as Jude leaned back against him, his arm drapedover Toni’s knee. Conversation buzzed around him as he played with the wavy curls at the back of the human’s neck.

Later, much to Toni’s delight, Jude removed his shirt to show off the scars on his chest, and Toni nearly choked on his drink when he caught sight of the dark ink etched into the human’s skin. It was biomechanical and covered most of Jude’s side and chest. But it didn’t hide the scars; it framed them. Showcased them.

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