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“Creepy prick,” Gem seethed as several hands came to rest on Rusty’s waist and hips. Hooking his top arms around Rusty’s shoulders, Gem pressed loosely into his back and whispered near his ear, “You okay?”

No, he wasn’t. Not only was it rude in Pyclese, and most other Mammylion cultures to grab someone’s tail uninvited, but now everyone was staring at him.

He didn’t like the weight of it, especially with the way Gem was rubbing numerous soothing hands over him.

He meant it as a comfort, Rusty knew that, but it flustered him all the same .

But he didn’t want to cause an even bigger scene, so he just nodded and tried to relax as Gem gestured toward the bar. “Looks like Ollie’s Gymnot finally showed up.”

Rusty followed Gem’s finger and caught sight of Oliver and Liel embracing near the bar, the human looking flushed and happy. “Guess he’s not crashing at yours tonight.”

“Pretty sure he’s crashing at Liel’s tonight,” Gem said with a snicker, and Rusty smirked.

“Gross.”

“I think it’s sweet.” Gem’s lower hands slid across Rusty’s stomach as his chin nestled between Rusty’s ears. “Though I’ll be honest, I’m a little jelly. I thought it’d be fun if Ollie and I fucked, but then he had to go and fall in love. Selfish, honestly.”

Of all the things Rusty expected Gem to say, that was not one of them. “You’re into Oliver?”

“Ew, no, not like that. I mean, Ollie’s great, but it was more curiosity than anything. I’ve never fucked a human before. Figured it’d be fun to try.”

Rusty snorted a laugh. “If you say so.”

Gem blew a raspberry. “Don’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious what it would be like to fuck a human.”

Technically, Rusty didn’t need to be curious because he had fucked a human before. Well, he’d been fucked by a human, and it hadn’t been anything overtly unique. Once you’d been railed by one phallus-like appendage, you’d been railed by them all. That had been Rusty’s experience, at least.

“A dick’s a dick,” Rusty finally said, and Gem harrumphed.

“You’ve clearly never been fucked by good dick,” Gem said flippantly, though the moment the words were out, he stiffened. “I mean—”

Since Rusty had been fucked by enough dick to last him a lifetime, he shrugged, interrupting what was sure to be an awkward apology. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Thankfully, their conversation was derailed by an Avia cutting in, the man dismissing Rusty with a fleeting glance before giving Gem a salacious onceover. “May I steal you away, pretty thing?”

Gem hesitated, arms tightening around Rusty’s shoulders for a moment, but since Rusty didn’t want to be a cockblock, he disentangled himself from Gem’s hold and backed away.

He offered Gem an encouraging nod, and the Araknis simpered before turning his attention on the Avia, sizing him up.

His grin turned seductive as he ran a hand through the man’s feathers, and Rusty spun on his heels and made for the bar.

After getting himself another tonic, he spotted Zef speaking to a Rhopa he didn’t recognize.

The Rhopa’s colorful wings flapped as they pantomimed vaguely, and Rusty stiffened when one of their hands landed on Zef’s upper arm.

Zef’s own wings flared out, the black lights of the club setting them aglow, and they stepped back, forcing the Rhopa’s hand to fall away.

Without conscious thought, Rusty headed their direction, but by the time he got there, the Rhopa was already leaving. “Sometimes, I wonder if you have a heart at all,” they cried before they disappeared into the crowd.

Zef, for their part, looked gutted, their four arms falling limply to their sides, their wings flattening to their back, their antennas drooping. Rusty glared at the retreating Rhopa as he came to a stop beside Zef.

“Zef, you okay?” he asked, and the Mantodea startled, their compound eyes focusing on him.

“I—yes. I am alright.”

“You sure?” Rusty tracked one of Zef’s hands as it ghosted over the place the Rhopa had touched them, like they were rubbing away the contact.

“Yes. It was just a silly argument.”

“Who was that?”

“My roommate.”

“I didn’t know you had a roommate,” Rusty said, and Zef shook their head, as if to shake away the whole encounter.

“No matter,” they dismissed. “Did you not want to dance?”

Rusty let the awkward conversation shift slide. “Not really my thing.”

“That is alright. I prefer to observe as well.” With a tiny smile, the Mantodea pulled out their phone and asked, “Would you like to see my myracaea ? It is flourishing.”

Smothering a smile, Rusty nodded. “Sure.”

A few years ago, Rusty had been given a cyctus , but since he’d never owned a plant in his life, he didn’t know how to care for it.

Given their passion for plants, Rusty had asked Zef for advice, which had apparently bonded them in some way Rusty didn’t understand.

Because now, Zef always showed him pictures of their garden and talked to him about it like they had a shared interest.

Not that Rusty minded. He and Zef had very little in common, and they were both relatively quiet. So it was nice having a topic at hand to talk about, even if Rusty had nothing to contribute.

“It was starting to wilt,” Zef was saying as they showed Rusty several pictures of a large-leafed plant that may have been green or possibly red.

“So I removed it from the pot and trimmed the dying roots before placing it in a larger pot with fresh soil. I also moved it out of direct light, and it has simply thrived. ”

“That’s awesome. You’re really good at that kind of stuff,” Rusty said, and Zef’s wings buzzed in pleasure.

“I do so enjoy it. It is a peaceful and rewarding hobby,” they said, thumbing through more pictures and explaining the different plants they were growing. “How is your cyctus doing?”

It had died long ago, but Rusty didn’t want to bum Zef out. So he lied. “Yeah, it’s doing great.”

They clasped their top hands together. “How wonderful.”

A loud, familiar laugh rang above the music, and Rusty’s ears swiveled toward the sound, followed by his gaze.

Gem was at the bar with the Avia now, his head thrown back as he laughed.

Zef was talking, but Rusty wasn’t listening because the Avia was smiling—no, he was leering at Gem, and it had Rusty’s hackles rising.

He leaned in, as if to whisper in Gem’s ear, and his taloned hand flirted over Gem’s arm and wrist. Bodies moved between them and Rusty, impeding his view, but he swore he caught a glimpse of the Avia opening his hand over Gem’s drink, like he was dropping something into it.

And Rusty was moving. Blinding rage and fear coursed through him so forcefully he was practically choking on it.

Because, for a moment, he wasn’t in the club anymore.

He was waking in an alley, sick and in pain, money and clothes gone, and he didn’t remember how he’d gotten there, only that he felt like he was dying. And that couldn’t happen to Gem.

He shoved through the crowd, but he was short and easily dismissed. It took him too long to get there, and when he finally clawed his way to the bar, Gem and the Avia were gone. So were their drinks.

Panting, Rusty spun in a circle, searching the mass of bodies until he spotted Gem’s dark, glossy hair. He and the Avia were joining the throng on the dance floor again, and, even at this distance, he could see Gem smiling. His first instinct was to fight his way to Gem’s side, but he faltered.

Then Zef was blocking his way, their expression pinched in concern. “What is wrong, Rusty?”

“I saw…” Rusty started, then drifted off. What had he actually seen? Nothing substantial. He’d been too far away with too many people blocking his view. Did he even know what he’d seen? “I thought I saw the Avia spike Gem’s drink.”

Zef’s nostril slits flared, and they followed Rusty’s stare to the dance floor. “Are you certain?”

“No,” he admitted. “I don’t know for sure. I just… I don’t know.”

“Then we shall keep a sharp eye on him, yes?” they said, looking to him for confirmation. “To be sure?”

Grateful for their support, Rusty nodded. “Yeah, we’ll keep an eye on him. But it was probably nothing.”

Deities below, he hoped it was nothing.