Page 20

Chapter nine

Soft and Mushy

Gem

When Gem roused, he knew it was too early to actually be awake, but something had disturbed him.

Soft fur tickled his face, and someone was purring loudly, a deep, comforting vibration that had Gem smiling before he was fully conscious.

He smelled spicy tobacco and musky sweat, and he nuzzled deeper into the squishy pillow with a sigh.

Except the pillow grunted, which was something pillows weren’t supposed to do.

Gem cracked open two small eyes to investigate, and the light pink fur of Rusty’s belly filled his vision.

He angled his head back, looking up Rusty’s torso to find the Pyclon sleeping, face propped on his hand.

He was purring steadily, and it was just the loveliest sound.

Quietly, Gem lifted his top right hand and laid it gently to Rusty’s chest. The purr vibrated down his arm, and he couldn’t resist purring back.

It wasn’t the same, of course. Rusty purred with his vocal chords; Gem purred using the thick hair on his arms and legs.

But there was something wonderful all the same in purring together .

Relaxing back against Rusty’s tummy, Gem kept one hand on his chest as he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep. It felt like only a second later that someone was gently lifting his head, moving slowly like they were trying not to wake him.

“Wha’s’happening?” Gem slurred.

“Shh,” that someone said. “Go back to sleep, Gem.”

His head was laid back down, though the surface was less fluffy and soft than before. A blanket was draped over him, and he snuggled into it. Feeling warm and comfy, Gem succumbed to sleep once more, a husky voice saying, “I’ll see you at work.”

He was too far gone to respond.

Hours later, his alarm woke him, and he sat up with a pained groan. His back was stiff, neck sore. He was too old to sleep on a couch, even though he considered his couch very comfy. It wasn’t long enough to accommodate his height though, so his legs shrieked as he straightened them out.

He grabbed his phone and silenced his alarm, and a paper fluttered to the floor. Bending down, he picked it up and read the message Rusty had left for him.

Take the pills! See you at work. —R

On the coffee table were two small, white tablets lying beside a glass of water.

With a cheek-splitting grin, Gem palmed the pills and headed to the kitchen.

He retrieved his other meds and tossed them all back, chasing them down with the water Rusty had provided.

He was clear-headed for the first time in two days, and even though he felt pressure at the back of his brain, like a headache lying in wait, he wasn’t in active pain. It was a welcome relief.

When he walked into work, Glyma dropped the dough in her hands with a cry and rushed him, throwing her arms around his torso. “I heard what happened. Are you alright? Are you sure you’re feeling up to working today? You can take a day or two if—”

“I’m fine, Glym,” Gem said, patting the top of her head as she continued to fret over him. “Honestly, I’d rather be here than home right now.”

Cupping his face, the Succubus studied him with intense, hot pink eyes. “You’re sure?”

“Yes,” he insisted. “Now, unless you want me popping an inappropriate boner that will call into question everything I’ve ever believed about myself, you should probably let me go.”

With a giggle, Glyma patted his cheeks once before releasing him. “Oh, our Gem’s okay.”

His chest warmed at her words, and he offered a little curtsy. “Your Gem is okay, I promise.”

“We were all very worried,” Willow said as she replaced Glyma, hugging him tight enough to knock the breath from him.

“Oh, thanks, Wil. But I really am okay.”

To his shock, even Zef offered him an affectionate greeting—a single, green hand on his shoulder. “I was greatly relieved when Toni said you were on the mend.”

Genuinely touched, Gem blinked away the burn in his eyes and smiled wetly at them all. “Aw, you’re all gonna make me cry. Damn it, now my makeup’s smearing.”

Wrapping Willow and Glyma in his arms, he hugged them back, offering Zef a brief squeeze to their wrist. The Mantodea dipped their pointed chin before pulling away, and Gem let them go without a fuss. They’d never been close, but he was honored that Zef felt comfortable enough to touch him at all.

When they parted, Gem dabbed at his eyes as Willow held up her compact mirror so he could fix his running mascara. He didn’t always wear makeup to work, but he’d needed the confidence boost this morning.

“Look okay?” he asked, and Willow nodded.

“Beautiful as always.”

With a simper, he kissed Willow’s rough cheek, then the top of Glyma’s lilac hair. “I love you all, but I can’t make coffee if I’m crying. So I’m leaving before you say any more nice things to me.”

He exited the kitchen to the sound of their laughter and was met with an armful of human. “Gem, oh my god, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Oh, Ollie, you precious little dew drop,” Gem cooed as he rubbed the human’s back and head. “Of course I’m okay.”

Rising from his crouch by the bakery case, Rusty lifted a hesitant hand in greeting. Gem returned the wave as Oliver stepped out of their embrace.

“I’m sorry I left Saturday,” Oliver rushed out. “I mean, I did have a crazy sex marathon, which was awesome, but I—”

“I wanted you to have a crazy sex marathon!” Gem said, clasping Oliver’s shoulders. “It’s literally all I’ve ever wanted since you told me about your eight-month dry spell.”

“Dry spell officially over,” Oliver said, and Gem squealed. “Seriously, you’re the best wingman ever, and don’t let anyone tell you different.”

Gem pointed at Rusty. “Vindication!”

“Why are you pointing at me?” Rusty demanded.

“But you’re good, right?” Oliver stepped back and ran his gaze over Gem, eyes pinched.

Gem ruffled Oliver’s blond hair and nodded. “I’m good. Now, tell me how cute I look and how much of a bad bitch I am, so we can all get back to work.”

“You look so cute and you’re the baddest of bitches,” Oliver said, and Gem preened.

“Thank you, Ollie. Now, stop fussing over me. You’re embarrassing yourself.” Gem winked, and Oliver snorted, giving him a weak shove as they took their places behind the counter.

As he passed Rusty, he leaned in and whispered, “Thanks for the pills.”

Rusty didn’t respond with words, but Gem caught an uptick to his cheek as the end of his tail drifted over Gem’s side.

Normally, Gem wouldn’t dream of touching Rusty’s tail without express permission, but since Rusty had instigated the touch, Gem allowed one lower hand to drift through the fluffy fur.

He curled his fingers gently around the end of his tail and gave it the softest stroke.

Rusty jolted, like he hadn’t expected Gem to reciprocate the affection, and a mix between a purr and a growl rumbled in his chest. Smiling smugly, Gem caught the Pyclon’s narrowed eyes and tongued at a fang as he shot him a salacious wink.

In response, Rusty flipped Gem off and rolled his eyes, and Gem snickered to himself as he took up his spot behind the espresso machine.

Work was uneventful, but as his shift drew to a close, exhaustion settled over him like a shroud.

He’d had to take two more pain pills—courtesy of Rusty’s endless pockets—a few hours prior because that stubborn headache had made a reappearance, and weakness was invading his limbs again.

But he pushed through, eyes on the clock as five o’clock ticked ever closer .

With only a half hour left, Gem took apart the espresso machine and started cleaning the parts as Toni waltzed through the kitchen doors, whistling along to the radio.

Those pitch black eyes studied Gem in concern, and he scratched along his arm fins as he propped his hip against the counter next to the register.

“Hey, Gemmy, how you feeling, baby?” the Elas asked, and Gem shrugged.

“Okay. Better than yesterday. You okay? You look tired.”

Toni blew a raspberry. “I’m fine. I stayed up a little late, I guess. I, uh, was talking with Jude.”

Jude, Oliver’s best friend from across the veil, had caught Toni’s attention a few weeks back, and Gem was unsurprised that his interest in the human was turning quickly into a fixation.

It was a very Toni-like thing to do as he was impulsive and borderline obsessive, but Gem knew, if he pushed back too hard, it would only ignite Toni’s stubbornness.

Not that he thought Toni pursuing Jude was a bad idea; Jude seemed like a perfectly nice guy.

But Gem had overheard Jude let Toni down easy the morning after they’d all gotten drunk at Zef’s drag performance, and he didn’t want Toni chasing after him anyway and getting his heart broken—another very Toni-like thing.

“Oh?” Gem said diplomatically. “And how is Jude?”

“He’s good.” Toni smiled softly, releasing a dopey little sigh, which spoke volumes more than his next words did. “He was cranky, but it was super cute.”

“I thought Jude wasn’t… looking for a relationship,” Gem said cautiously as he fit the pieces of the milk steamer back together.

With an almost comical pout, Toni wriggled his shoulders noncommittally. “We were just talking. We’re friends, and friends talk. ”

“Right. And you wanting to bone him is just the awkward bulgridge in the room of your friendship?”

“Hey, show some class. I don’t just wanna bone him.” At Gem’s doubtful expression, Toni huffed. “I mean, yes, I do wanna suck his dick—except he don’t got one of those, so I wanna suck his metaphorical dick, I guess.”

“His dick is a metaphor? For what?” Gem asked, wiping his hands clean on a tea towel.

Blinking blankly, Toni slicked his black tongue along his jagged teeth. “Don’t get smart with me. You know what I meant.”

“Okay, you don’t have to get snippy. You’re the one who used the word metaphor .”