Page 1 of Gratification in Gluttony (Passing Through Cafe #2)

Chapter one

Toni is a Weak Man

The streets of Gluttony were dark and dreary, mostly empty save for a few strays scuttling into the shadows to seal shady business deals. Drugs, usually, though there was the odd corner-worker leaning against the faulty street lamps or waiting in the mouth of an alley for their next potential customer.

Tonight, though, only the toughest sex workers were out, the rest having taken shelter inside to escape the gusty weather. Wind blasted against Toni, stinging his cheeks and neck. He hunched his shoulders and ducked his head, briefly regretting forgoing a jacket.

He hated jackets or coats—anything with sleeves, really. The tight tunnels of fabric crushed the fragile fins on his arms, leaving kinks and soreness behind. So even when the weather turned bitter, Toni preferred to suffer through the cold rather than wear anything constricting.

After checking the street for traffic, he crossed over and picked up his pace. Guilt settled low in his gut as he approached the rendezvous point. He shouldn’t have been here, he knew that. If Gem ever found out—no, he couldn’t think about Gem, not when he was about to do something as stupid as this.

He knew better, he did . He knew it wasn’t good for him. He knew he’d regret it tomorrow; he always did, didn’t he? But Toni was a weak man. His father had reveled in pointing that fact out at every opportunity during Toni’s adolescence. He was weak for many things: a pretty smile, a sharp tongue, the next thrill to fill his otherwise mundane nights.

It was why he’d worked for his father, however briefly. He’d wanted the high, the adrenaline rush. He’d wanted the respect that came with his family name, but he’d proven quickly that he didn’t have the stomach to do what was necessary to claim it.

He’d been faced with a choice then. Kill the version of himself that felt true and real. Or leave the family business and break his mother’s heart. As much as Toni loved his mother, he’d chosen himself, chosen living authentically, chosen happiness.

He had Gem to thank for a lot of it. Gem had shown Toni that being a man didn’t have to mean being hard or being cruel. Gem had taught Toni that softness and kindness weren’t weak, that beauty was something to be celebrated, not crushed.

Toni owed Gem a lot, which made his betrayal tonight even more egregious. Sure, Toni may have redefined what strength and weakness were, but he knew his choices tonight were pathetic. He wasn’t strong enough to resist temptation; the poison would destroy him, but he was able to convince himself that the moments leading up to the crash would be worth it.

At the mouth of the alley between an Avian take-away and a laundromat, Toni slowed to a stop. The wind smacked into his back, fucking up his hair and making it fall into his eyes.

It ain’t too late , that voice in the back of Toni’s mind said. You can still go home.

He could. But he’d already come too far. Tonight, he was falling off the wagon, and he couldn’t fucking wait.

Toni heard the Lupyn before he saw him, and he loosened his posture as he casually strolled deeper into the alley. The Lupyn’s eyes reflected the streetlamp behind Toni, and as he approached, he smiled, revealing sharp canines. His fur was thick and brown, his tail swaying warily behind him as he sized Toni up.

“Kenni, baby,” Toni greeted, and the Lupyn’s grin curled into something more like a sneer.

“You better be grateful I even came out tonight,” Kenni spat, tightening his coat against the harsh wind.

“Like you want the product sitting in your house any longer than it has to,” Toni snorted. “Don’t bullshit me.”

Kenni bared his canines. “You got the money?”

Feigning offense, Toni pantomimed a shot to the heart. “Have I ever let you down before?”

“Consistently,” Kenni deadpanned, and Toni laughed.

“That cuts deep. I thought we were friends.”

With an eye-roll, Kenni shifted his weight and glanced furtively around. “You got the money or not?”

“Of course I got the money.” Toni pulled out a roll of bills, and the Lupyn’s eyes flared. “Now, do you got what I need?”

“It’ll cost you extra,” Kenni said as he opened his trench coat to give Toni a glimpse of the package. “Another hundred.”

“An extra hundred? You’re fucking joking!”

“The borders are tighter than ever. Getting this shit through the veil when trade deals are getting dropped left and right ain’t no easy feat.” Kenni rolled his thick shoulders, clawed feet digging into the concrete. “Do you want the product or not?”

Toni slicked his tongue over his teeth, fighting to keep his expression neutral. “You know I ain’t a man to fuck with, right?”

“I know you’ve fallen out of grace with your daddy,” Kenni shot back smugly. “So, you can keep your threats to yourself. An extra hundred, or I walk.”

Frustration sent a growl rumbling through Toni’s chest, but he swallowed it down. Not fast enough for Kenni not to hear it, and the bastard’s cocky grin widened. Toni wanted to punch it off his face, but he resisted. Just barely.

“Okay. An extra hundred for your trouble,” Toni said graciously as he fished out his wallet and added the extra money to the roll of bills held together by elastic.

Kenni snatched the cash out of Toni’s hand and quickly thumbed through it. Toni rolled his eyes but remained silent as the Lupyn double-checked the amount. Finally satisfied, he tucked the bills into his pocket before opening his trench coat and retrieving a box.

“I could get you the cheaper stuff, you know?” Kenni said as he handed the box to Toni. “This name brand shit—”

“I know what I like.” Toni cut him off, cradling the package to his chest as he backed toward the mouth of the alley. “Until next time, yeah?”

Kenni didn’t respond, pulling out the money and recounting it, greed shining in his bright eyes. Toni left him to it, high-tailing it back to his flat. It wasn’t the fancy penthouse his pops had paid for, which made Toni love it all the more. He didn’t need the bells and whistles, not when it came with so many strings attached.

The flat was dark as he shouldered the door open and kicked off his boots, leaving them blocking the entry, but he didn’t care. His focus was on the package in his hands, and he set it on the dining table, hands trembling as he worked on the tape sealing it closed. It was cool to the touch, and his mouth watered as he imagined diving in headfirst—

A lamp behind him clicked on, casting the room in an eerie yellow glow, and Toni spun around with an unmanly shriek. Eight eyes pierced through him as the ridiculously tall, lean Araknis settled more comfortably in the lounge chair, long, long legs crossing elegantly at the knee.

One set of arms folded over his stomach as another set drummed fingers on the armrests. The top set of hands steepled in front of his chest, his dark gray lips set into a thin line.

“Fucking shit, Gemmy!” Toni barked, rubbing at his racing heart under his chest plate. “What are you playing at?”

“Evening, Toni,” Gem said stiffly, his two large iridescent eyes locked on Toni’s face. The other smaller, red eyes studied the Elas’s body and the package sitting on the dining table. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” Toni fisted his hands on his hips. “What are you doing? Why are you sitting in the dark in my flat in the middle of the night, you creep?”

“The more pressing question is what were you doing out so late?”

Shifting his weight, Toni attempted to shield the package from his best friend’s line of sight. “Nothing. Just out for a walk.”

“A walk? In this weather?”

“Yeah,” Toni said defensively. “I needed some air.”

Gem hummed doubtfully, large eyes narrowing as he unfolded himself and stood. Toni had to lift his chin to retain eye contact as Gem approached, looming over him. Araknis were tall by nature, but Gem was taller than most at over seven feet.

Jutting his chin, Toni crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. “Why did you break into my place?”

“I didn’t break in; I used my key. And I think we both know why I’m here.” Gem grinned smugly. “You think Kenni wouldn’t tell me? I rode his dick so good he saw stars. I got that Lupyn in my pocket, bitch!”

A growl ripped up Toni’s throat. “That fucking rat!”

“Now,” Gem said, crossing several sets of arms over his torso, “you’re gonna tell me what’s in the box.”

“This ain’t got nothing to do with you,” Toni said.

Gem scoffed. “Ha, please. What’s in the box?”

“Ain’t your concern.”

“What’s in the box, Toni?”

“Walk away, Gem.”

Gem leaned down until they were almost nose-to-nose. “What’s in the fucking box?” he whispered, voice low and dangerous.

Toni scowled and stepped closer, lips nearly brushing Gem’s as he bared his teeth. “You know what’s in that fucking box.”

Gasping dramatically, Gem stepped back and pressed a palm to his chest. “How could you?”

“Oh, don’t give me that!” Toni spat, pointing a sharp finger at his friend. “Don’t you dare—”

“You promised that last time would be the last time,” Gem said, and Toni looked away, hating the disappointment in those iridescent eyes. “You’re better than this, Toni!”

“Am I?” Toni shouted, grasping desperately at his shirt. “Am I, Gem?”

“Yes, Toni,” Gem said, half-sobbing, “you are. I know you are.”

“I’m a weak man,” Toni admitted brokenly. “I ain’t strong enough.”

“You are strong enough,” Gem insisted, gripping Toni’s arms with numerous hands. He shook him just shy of too hard. “It’s not too late.”

Shrugging off Gem’s hold, Toni shook his head. “It is. You know it’s too late for me. But it ain’t too late for you. You can still go. Get outta here before—”

“We’ve been in this together. From the start. You think I’m going to abandon you now?” Gem grabbed Toni’s chin and forced his head up, glaring down at him furiously. “It’s not too late for either of us. We can face this together. We can beat this together.”

“Maybe I don’t want to,” Toni seethed, and Gem’s hand dropped.

Betrayal and anger played over Gem’s face as he shook his head. “You’re pathetic.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Toni demanded. “You think it doesn’t eat me up inside?”

“I can’t watch you do this,” Gem whimpered, fisting a few hands in his shirt. “I can’t stand here and watch you hurt yourself.”

“I ain’t asking you to.”

“Maybe you’re not strong enough,” Gem said, inhaling deeply like he was steeling himself for something. “But I can be strong for you. Give me the box.”

“What? No!” Toni stretched his arms wide and took a defensive stance in front of the table. “It’s mine.”

“Give it to me!” Gem shrieked as he lunged, his many arms scrabbling behind Toni to grab at the box.

They grappled and struggled as Toni planted his feet firmly and shoved against Gem’s flailing body. One of Gem’s hands knocked the box over, and the contents rolled out onto the table. Gem made a desperate noise in the back of his throat and redoubled his efforts.

“Give it to me, Toni! Give it to me now,” he cried, and Toni grimaced.

“Come on, Gemmy, the neighbors already think we’re fucking,” he lamented as he turned around and bent over the table, fingers grazing the edge of the carton. “Stop giving them more ammunition.”

Nearly climbing over Toni, Gem trapped him against the table with the weight of his ginormous ass. “Shut your whore mouth and give it to me!”

“That ain’t helping!” Toni roared as he grabbed the two cold cartons and tried to bundle them in his arms.

He undulated beneath Gem in an attempt to wriggle out from under him. If his neighbors across the alley were looking in the windows, it would definitely look like Gem was enthusiastically fucking Toni over the dining table right now. But Toni didn’t care. All that mattered was protecting his precious cargo.

Gem pried at his strong grip, teeth bared, fangs glistening. “If you think I’m letting you do this—”

“You just want it for yourself!” Toni accused.

Gem’s jaw dropped, and he ripped one of the pints free, shaking it in Toni’s face. “Of course I want it for myself!” he shouted. “You got Chunky Monkey. You know that’s my favorite!”

Glaring at each other, Toni straightened, still clutching the second pint—Karamel Sutra—to his chest. “Maybe a part of me wanted you to smell it on my breath tomorrow.”

The Araknis’s eyes flared with fury. “You bitch!”

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll be giving that back right now.” Toni took a menacing step forward, and Gem bared his fangs.

“Over my sexy, dead body!” he snarled before ripping the lid off the ice cream and obnoxiously swiping his tongue right over the top. Retaining unsettling eye contact with Toni, Gem proceeded to cover every inch of exposed ice cream with his gray tongue, making gross noises that sent Toni back several steps, face scrunching.

“Aw, come on, that’s disgusting.”

“You still want it back?” he said as he slurped up the human ice cream, adding a few fingers to the mix. “I may have masturbated while I waited for you to come home, and I might not have washed my hands.”

Defeat made Toni’s shoulders slump. “You’re a sick man, Gem.”

“And yet, here I stand, the victor.” Gem straightened with a triumphant grin. It dimmed as he inspected his ice cream covered fingers. “Ew, this is pretty gross, actually. I might have been a tad too enthusiastic. Do you have a spoon?”

Without waiting for an answer, Gem crossed the kitchen and washed his dirtied hand while two of his free hands searched for a clean kitchen towel and a spoon. “You want one?” Gem asked, holding a spoon up over his shoulder.

Sighing, Toni hopped onto the dining table and pried open his Karamel Sutra ice cream. “Yeah, grab me one.”

Gem joined Toni on the table, the wood creaking under his weight as he settled his thicc ass beside the Elas. He handed Toni a spoon before dipping his own into his Chunky Monkey and taking a huge bite. Toni followed suit, and they ate their ice cream in silence for several minutes.

“Your intestines are gonna hate you in a few hours, you know,” Gem said as he sucked on his ice cream covered spoon.

“I know,” Toni grumbled, even as he took another bite. “But it’s worth it.”

“You say that now. But when you get the lactose shits, you’ll be singing a different tune.”

“Like you’re any different. You literally broke my toilet the last time we did this. I had to call a plumber!”

With an unattractive snort, Gem raised two hands and pantomimed crying. “Oh my gods, I’m so sorry my friendship is such an imposition for you!”

“Shut up,” Toni said, unable to stop a chuckle from breaking through.

Gem grinned back, taking another bite of Chunky Monkey. “You love me, and you know it.”

“Yeah, Gemmy,” Toni admitted, knocking Gem’s shoulder with his, “I do.”

Thoroughly pleased with himself, Gem wriggled closer until they were pressed together from hip to shoulder. The fur on his arms and legs vibrated, emitting a barely audible hum of satisfaction. Toni smiled as Gem snuck an arm around his waist as another hand landed on his thigh and squeezed.

They sat like that as they emptied their pints of ice cream. When both cartons were scraped clean, they leaned back on the table and sighed in contentment.

“Ollie’s coming tomorrow, right?” Gem asked as he inspected the chipping green nail polish on one of his thumbs.

“Yeah, Rusty’s meeting him and Jude at the station.”

“Oh? Jude’s coming?” Gem waggled his thin brows. “Another opportunity to make a good impression.”

Toni scowled, thinking back on his first introduction to Oliver’s adorable friend. “I think it’s a bit late for making a good impression, no thanks to you.”

Offended, Gem crossed his middle arms over his chest and pouted. “Deities below, you can hold a grudge. I bet Jude doesn’t even remember.”

“It’s kind of a hard thing to forget,” Toni bit out.

“Oh em geez!” Gem’s head fell back as he groaned. “It wasn’t even that bad. You’re so dramatic.”

“You told a complete stranger that we watched porn and jerked off together!” Toni jabbed Gem in the shoulder. “Then you said that kissing me was so unsatisfactory that it was like kissing your brother. Not exactly a stellar review of my talents.”

“Okay, yes, that happened, but you need to move on. You’re hot, you’re charming, you’re funny, and you’re a little scary. That’s a great combination. Just be those things in front of Jude, and he will, like, totally fuck you, probably,” Gem said, eyes wide and serious.

With a harrumph, Toni picked at the loose strings of his ripped jeans as his legs swung. “I mean, I am charming. And funny.”

“You’re so charming and funny,” Gem agreed readily.

Toni gestured to his body. “And I ain’t bad looking.”

“Objectively attractive!” Gem concurred.

“And I can be scary,” Toni said with a razor-sharp grin.

Gem beamed at him. “Very scary.”

“I can salvage this!” Toni said, and Gem’s head bobbed up and down enthusiastically.

“You can totally salvage this! The human won’t know what hit him.” Gem pecked Toni’s cheek, and Toni’s chest swelled with confidence.

“A’ight, I got this.” He straightened his shoulders and puffed out his chest.

“You so totally got this!” Gem squealed a moment before his stomach gurgled angrily. His supportive grin dropped as his eyes widened. “It’s starting!”

“No!” Toni shook his head in denial. “Not yet. It can’t be starting already.”

Gem moaned, several hands clutching at his stomach. “We made a mistake, Toni!”

Jumping off the table, Toni pointed at the door. “Go home to shit. I’m not sharing a bathroom with you like this.”

“It’s too late,” Gem whimpered as he stumbled to his feet and started toward the bathroom. “We’ve passed the point of no return.”

“I swear to all the gods that exist,” Toni growled as he chased Gem down, “if you break my pipes again—”

“Stop yelling at me. I can’t relax my asshole when I’m being yelled at.” Gem slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it, making Toni skid to a stop to avoid smashing face-first into the wood.

“Why do you have to say it like that?” Toni whined. “The neighbors, Gem. The neighbors!”

“Oh gods, I regret everything!” Gem wailed, and Toni’s forehead met the bathroom door with a hard thunk as his stomach gave a painful twist.

With a remorseful moan, Toni squeezed his eyes shut and prepared himself for what was sure to be an equally embarrassing and disgusting night ahead. “Oh, fuck me!”