Page 68 of Gratification in Gluttony

“Don’t we have to pay you first?” Toni asked.

As he slicked his tongue over his sharp teeth, Liel gave Oliver fuck-me eyes. “I’m sure Oliver and I can come to some sort of arrangement.”

“Shall we discuss terms of compensation?” Oliver nudged his nose against Liel’s flatter one.

The overhead light flickered as lightning popped between Liel’s fingers. “I have a few ideas.”

“Ew,” Rusty said.

“Oh my god,” Jude said.

“And he saidIshould keep it in my pants,” Toni grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Fucking hypocrite.”

“Okay,” Glyma said, cheeks flushing from Oliver and Liel canoodling. “Shall we play another game?”

Tad opened her mouth, but everyone said, “Not Hellahoola,” and she closed her mouth and pouted. Zef patted her head with their lower left hand, but she pushed them off, stomping away.Toni heard her rummaging through his kitchen cupboards a moment later, but he didn’t want to know, so he left her to it.

“Shall we make a puzzle, Glym?” Willow asked, pulling a box out of the canvas tote she’d brought.

Glyma clapped her hands. “Yes! I forgot to bring one, but I’m glad you remembered.”

As they set up their puzzle on the dining room table, Tad, Zef, Quin, and Liel decided to start a poker game. Normally, Toni would have joined them, but he decided to follow Jude to the couch where he, Oliver, and Gem were setting up a card game.

Rusty curled up in the armchair, phone in hand, clearly pouting after the whole tramp stamp debacle. When asked if he wanted to play, the Pyclon shook his head, claws clacking across his screen.

“It’s called Euchre,” Gem said as Toni sat down beside Jude on the couch. Oliver and Gem settled on the floor with the coffee table between them. “It’s super fun when you’re not partnered with Rusty. He just yells at you.”

“Only if it’s deserved,” Rusty muttered without looking up from his phone. “Which, last time, it was.”

“Anyway,” Gem said, speaking over the Pyclon, “I’ll be Jude’s partner. You can be partners with Ollie.”

Since that meant Toni could stay sitting beside Jude, he accepted the terms, listening to the rules as Oliver dealt the cards. The game was fun, though Toni didn’t care much about it. He was more interested in sneaking touches to Jude whenever Oliver was distracted.

Their knees touched, and every time it wasn’t his turn to deal, Toni would lean back and skate a hand over Jude’s back. He twisted the human’s curls around his fingers and skirted light caresses over the back of his neck. Jude, for his part, ignored Toni almost entirely. But a smile curved his lips throughout the game, and his heart beat unsteadily every time they got too close.

It had Toni impatient for everyone to leave.

Unfortunately, when they did eventually call it a night, Oliver said, “We made up the couch for you, Jude.”

“What?” Jude asked, leaning slightly into Toni when he hooked an arm around his neck.

“So you don’t have to travel back through the veil tonight,” Oliver explained as he linked fingers with Liel. “I already have a tram ticket for you.”

Disappointment solidified in Toni’s stomach, but he didn’t let it show as Jude said. “Oh. Right. O-okay. Thanks.”

With a covert, apologetic glance Toni’s way, Jude smiled and shrugged, then headed to the door to slip on his shoes. Toni followed, bidding everyone farewell as they filtered out of his flat.

When Liel tugged Oliver into the hall, connecting them at the mouth, Toni took the opportunity to cup Jude’s chin in his hands and smack a quick peck to the human’s forehead. “See you around?”

Jude squeezed Toni’s hand and smirked. “See you around.”

“Guitar lessons, right?”

Nodding, Jude backed out of Toni’s flat. “Yeah, guitar lessons.”

“Excellent.” Toni gave Jude a rather filthy onceover and winked. “Maybe you can teach me other stuff too. I’m poorly educated on human anatomy.”

“Ew, Toni!” Oliver surfaced from sucking Liel’s face long enough to glare at him. “Stop creeping on my friend.”

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