Page 47 of Gratification in Gluttony

Jude pushed through the crowd, his sandals slapping against the pavement as he came to a stop in front of Toni. “Hey,” he said, sounding a little breathless.

“Hey,” Toni replied, the word nearly cracking.

They stared at each other for a moment, and Toni panicked over how to greet him. Did they hug? Did they kiss? A handshake felt too formal, but a high-five was too casual and juvenile.

Without his brain telling them to, his hands rose and offered Jude finger guns. “Jude, the human,” he said stupidly.

Snorting, Jude copied his finger guns. “Toni, the Elas.”

Toni grimaced, chuckling sheepishly. “Sorry, I don’t really know what to do right now. I’m not usually this awkward.”

With a cute laugh, Jude popped onto his toes and circled Toni’s neck with his arms, pulling him down into an embrace. Toni responded immediately, wrapping the human up tightly as he tucked his face into his shoulder and breathed in his scent. Fuck, he smelled good.

“Thanks,” Jude said, smiling against Toni’s ear.

“Didn’t know I said that out loud,” Toni said as he released Jude and stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was just breathing, and you were close. I wasn’t, like, sniffing you or anything. I promise I’m not a creep.”

“Toni, relax.” Jude reached out and gripped his arm, fingers flattening his smallest fin down. “Oh shit, sorry.” He pulled back before Toni could reassure him, linking his hands behind his back. “Did I hurt your fin?”

Shaking his head, Toni rotated his arm so Jude could see his fins standing straight again. “No, it didn’t hurt. They’re not too fragile. I mean, don’t go smashing them; that wouldn’t feel too good.”

“Okay, no fin-smashing. Got it.” Slowly, Jude reached out to trace the fins on Toni’s forearm and biceps, touch achingly gentle. “They’re smooth.”

His touch sent shivers up Toni’s spine, but he kept his composure, not wanting Jude to stop. He nodded and hummed in some sort of agreement, scrutinizing the human’s face as Jude studied his fins.

“They’re pretty,” Jude said decidedly as he traced the dark blue stripes on Toni’s skin.

“The stripes?” Toni asked.

“And the fins,” Jude said with a cute curl to his full lips.

“Thanks.” Moving just as slowly as Jude had, Toni reached out and touched the dark dots smattering his nose. “I like these spots.”

“Freckles,” Jude supplied.

“Freckles,” Toni echoed. “See? They even sound cute.”

“Yeah, okay.” Jude’s cheeks darkened slightly, and he changed the subject quickly, inspecting their surroundings. “Um, so this is Gluttony, huh?”

“Part of it,” Toni said, tucking his hands into his pockets. “We gotta take the tram back to my place. So, you can see more of Gluttony if you want.”

“Lead the way,” Jude said with a flourish of his hand, and Toni nodded and headed down the stairs.

Jude fell into step beside him, sharp eyes taking in their surroundings with keen interest. Toni had to force himself to pay attention to where he was going instead of Jude’s face. He didn’t want to run anyone over or, worse, trip over his own feet and embarrass himself.

On the tram, Jude took the window seat, and they settled into easy conversation as he gazed at the buildings they passed.

“The architecture here is incredible,” Jude said during a lull in conversation.

“Different from Chicago?” Toni asked, and Jude nodded. “And that’s what you’re studying in school, right?”

“Uh-huh, I’m getting my masters in Architecture,” he said so casually, like it wasn’t the coolest thing ever.

“That’s awesome. You must be, like, wicked smart.”

Jude’s cheeks darkened again, and Toni heard the uptick in his heart rate. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do. You’ve been on your own since eighteen, and all that time, you’ve been going to school, working, and transing—”

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