Page 70 of How Not to Date an Angel

Rami poked a finger into the appendage, feeling one of the silicone suckers. It was cool and smooth to the touch, and they cocked their head to the side.

Hm.

They’d of course heard and read about these toys, but Rami had never ventured out to properly investigate. The books they read were close enough to the real thing, surely.

“Whatcha doin’?” Julian asked suddenly, and close by.

Rami jumped a foot in the air and spun, clasping their hands behind their back. “Nothing!”

“Didn’t look like nothing,” Julian drawled, and peered around their back. “You know, if you have any questions, we can treat this like an… educational trip.”

Rami pursed their lips in thought.

“Yeah!” Julian said, clearly enthused by his own idea. “I meant what I said. You’ve introduced me to the simple pleasures, like how you showed me the sea creatures at the aquarium and that little snack platter and the chocolates. And I’ll show you all… this,” he said, and waved a hand to encompass the room.

“I doubt you’ll show me anything I don’t readily know,” Rami retorted.

Julian arched a brow at that. “Reading about it in your little books is a whole lot different thanexperiencingit.”

Rami’s cheeks flushed at the thought of Julianexperiencinganything of the like.

But. Education was very important.

And it wasn’t like Rami had anyone else to ask.

Actually, thinking of this as an educational experience really quite helped. They were learning, and nothing more.

Face aflame, they turned away from the demon. If they were going to ask questions, they couldn’t very well look him in the eyes while doing so.

“Do… do people actually like this?” they asked, poking their finger into the silicone of the toy to feel the suckers again. It wobbled when they removed their touch.

Julian made a choking noise, and Rami glanced over their shoulder at him before averting their attention. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah… yep. Peachy. Tons of people like this kind of thing. That’s why it exists,” he said, motioning to their surroundings. “That’s why all of this exists.”

Rami’s brow furrowed and their gaze lifted, drifting from the…dildoto the demon and back again.

“Doyoulike this kind of thing?”

Julian coughed a bit, and shrugged. “I mean, I’m not… opposed,” he said, voice strained.

“Right,” Rami said, dragging the word out. “So you, and other humans into this kind of thing—why… tentacles? I mean, what does this have to do with the octopus?”

The noise Julian made was more in line with a laugh that time. “M’not attracted to a fucking sea creature. It’s just a fun texture.Something a little different than the plain ol’ penis, you know? It feels… nice.”

Rami’s cheeks flushed at the idea of Julian enjoying this… toy.

Inside him.

Clearing their throat, Rami pushed the thoughts away. “So what’s with all this, then?”

Julian hummed, and Rami watched his deft fingers stroke a mesh covering. Not that it would actually cover anything, since it was see-through.

“It’s just… dressing up. Like… okay, don’t you wear your best sweater for your clients?”

Rami gasped. “I amnotsexually attracted to my—”

“No, no. I know, that’s not what I’m implying. Let me finish explaining,” Julian grumbled, frowning over at them.

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