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Chapter thirteen

Sex-pocalypse

Gem

Summer was drawing to a close, and like it knew it was on its last breath, the heat bore down with a vengeance. It was the hottest day in August the Pentagram had experienced in several decades, and Gem was literally melting. According to Toni’s texts, he was not holding up any better.

[Toni] Maybe I should just jump from the fire escape. Think of the breeze on the way down.

We could go swimming instead. Then we’d still be alive.

That’s if we WANT to still be alive.

Drama queen.

Swapping to the group work chat, Gem typed out:

Who’s up for a beach day?

[Toni] It ain’t optional. Our very lives are at stake!

[Oliver] I haven’t been to the beach yet, and Liel says he’s sick of sitting in his own ass sweat.

[Quin] Which beach?

[Tad] I vote N?gyn Beach off the tip of Envy.

[Toni] Doesn’t Liel have air conditioning? How is his ass even sweating?

[Willow] Can Krul come?

[Glyma] Isn’t N?gyn a nude beach?

[Oliver] The air conditioning in his building is broken, and the repairman is on strike.

[Zef] I would prefer a beach that requires bathing suits.

[Rusty] Yeah, hard pass on the nude beach.

[Gem] There’s a nude beach in Envy? How am I just now finding out about this?

[Toni] Damn, tough break.

[Tad] Zef, you traitor!

[Quin] If you all go to N?gyn, Glyma and I can’t come. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.

[Oliver] Shit, Liel’s mad I told you about his ass sweat.

[Willow] Krul and I spent a weekend at N?gyn Spa for our five-year anniversary.

[Glyma] Oh. I really want to go! What about Hymab Beach? Swimsuits are required there.

[Gem] Seriously, why didn’t anyone tell me about the nude beach?

[Oliver] If Liel asks, I convinced you all that he’s never sweat a day in his life, especially not on his ass.

[Toni] Willow, you kinky girl.

[Rusty] Hymab is gonna be packed.

[Tad] I can’t go to Hymab. I’m banned there.

[Zef] Every beach will be busy given the temperature today.

[Willow] Why are you banned, Tad?

[Toni] I don’t think I wanna know why Tad is banned.

[Oliver] Great, now Liel doesn’t wanna go anymore because he’s self-conscious about his sweat!

[Quin] What about Plyzh?

[Tad] I started a riot.

[Gem] Oh my gods, Ollie, no one cares about Liel’s sweat!

[Zef] Tad, dear, you forgot to say allegedly. The evidence was circumstantial at best.

[Glyma] Plyzh isn’t as nice.

[Toni] See? I don’t wanna know about a riot!

[Rusty] Yeah, but Plyzh might not be as busy as Hymab. And it’s closer.

[Willow] Krul and I are happy with either option.

[Tad] Oh, I definitely started that riot.

[Toni] Plyzh is close to me, so I’m down.

[Oliver] I care about his sweat.

[Quin] So, meeting at Plyzh?

[Zef] I shall arrive at two.

[Gem] Ew, Ollie! No one wants to know about your weird sweat kink.

[Glyma] I’ll bring snacks!

[Willow] I have some bubbly fruit spritzers.

[Rusty] I’m with Gem. TMI, dude.

[Toni] I’ll bring myself. You’re welcome.

[Zef] I can contribute bottled waters.

[Tad] I’ll bring the tear gas.

Everyone responded identically, the messages pinging in quick succession, one after another: “No tear gas!”

Twenty minutes later, Gem boarded the tram, belly flipping when he caught sight of Rusty already seated toward the back.

His head was bent, gaze on his phone. One of his fluffy ears had folded forward; the other stood tall.

His bushy tail draped over the seat next to him, keeping it empty. Saving it.

Gem wasn’t sure why that, of all things, made him feel disgustingly gooey inside.

Ever since the night Rusty had taken him to The Point and shown him where he’d grown up, Gem had been experiencing a lot of gooey feelings anytime he hung out with, talked to, or thought about Rusty.

Which usually meant that he was coming down with a crush—or a violent case of the stomach flu.

If it was the latter, his beach day was about to take a terrible and disgusting turn, but seeing as the alternative was him having an honest-to-gods crush on Rusty, he was kind of hoping for the explosive vomiting.

Not that a crush was the worst thing in the world.

He’d survived numerous ones throughout his twenty-eight-and-three-quarters years of life, and since he wasn’t some immature juvenile, it wasn’t like he would lose himself to the drama of his feelings.

Yes, feelings were there to be felt and validated, but he wasn’t going to indulge them. He was rational (more or less) and realistic (most of the time), and he knew that entertaining a crush on Rusty would end badly. Because Gem couldn’t imagine Rusty ever returning the feelings.

Was Rusty attracted to him on a physical level? Gem was pretty confident the answer was a resounding yes; Rusty’s pheromones didn’t lie. But then again who wasn’t? It came with the territory of being fun, flirty, and femme.

As arrogant as it made him sound, Gem was accustomed to people wanting him, even if it was never for more than a hook-up or a recurring booty call if he was lucky. But anything more? Not so much.

Gem was, after all, a lot. For most people, he was too much.

He was fun for a night or a weekend fling, but he wasn’t the guy anyone was bringing home to meet the folks.

He was good enough to fuck but not date.

Good enough for no-strings-attached sex but not a relationship.

And honestly, it was fine. He didn’t need love or monogamous commitment.

He was perfectly happy with his bachelor life, getting dicked down whenever he wanted and building a community of amazing friends.

And while Rusty seemed to enjoy being Gem’s friend, Gem knew it would never be anything more. Which was fine . Rusty not returning his crush was no big deal. Gem would crush. He might even flirt a little. But then he’d get over it like he always did, and everyone would be the better for it.

Still, if he had a say in the matter, he would rather not crush. Life was easier that way, and he liked when his life was easy. He was not built for strife.

“Gem?” Rusty’s voice infiltrated Gem’s thoughts, and he blinked his many eyes, focusing back on the here and now in the tram.

“Yes?” he said.

Glancing around awkwardly, Rusty gestured to the seat he’d saved for Gem. “Are you gonna sit? You’ve been standing there staring for, like, five minutes.”

“I was not,” Gem denied as he sat down, nearly squashing part of Rusty’s tail under his ass.

With a hiss, Rusty bundled his tail onto his lap and glared. “Watch it! And yes, you were. We’re almost to the next stop already.”

As if to confirm the ridiculous claim, the tram slowed, then came to a squeaking stop, doors sliding open to let new passengers in as others departed. Gem’s cheeks warmed, and he searched through his beach bag for his sunglasses to give himself something to do as he fought the blush.

“Whatever. I was just thinking. ”

Rusty chuckled under his breath, sharp claws—recently painted metallic black at their last slumber party—smoothing the fur of his tail. “Figured.”

“Shut up.” Studying Rusty’s usual ensemble of black clothes, Gem frowned. “Are you not swimming? Where’s your suit?”

Rusty’s paws faltered, fingers curling reflexively around his tail before he shot Gem a wry grin. “Not everyone feels comfortable riding the tram in a bikini like you.”

With a giggle, Gem leaned in, hooking his top arm around Rusty’s neck. “Are you wearing a bikini? ’Cause I’d pay money to see that.”

“Too bad I’m not for sale anymore,” Rusty said as he lifted Gem’s arm by his wrist and guided it off his shoulders and into his own lap. “I like the new suit, by the way. I was expecting something a little more ostentatious, but it’s nice.”

Gem straightened and shimmied, showing off the white high-necked halter top clinging to his flat chest. “I have ostentatious bikinis, but I wanted something a little more classic.”

And if it happened to be white—one of the colors Rusty could actually see—well, that was purely by coincidence.

The onceover Rusty gave him was warm and appreciative, but not lecherous. “Looks good.”

“Thanks,” Gem murmured, trying to smother the flutters in his stomach. Since Rusty didn’t hand out compliments willy-nilly, any time he offered one to Gem, it made him feel extra squishy inside. Which was not helping the whole inconvenient-crush situation one bit.

Plyzh Beach ran along what little coast Gluttony district had.

It was a pathetic stretch of coarse, gray-ish teal sand that Hellians from the Pride district would never be caught dead frequenting.

Envy had the best beaches, as it was entirely bordered by the sea, but most of them were private or pay-to-swim.

Envy was the beauty district, known for their shopping malls, plastic surgery centers, and spas. Most of the coast was owned by fancy resorts, and only those with a membership were allowed to patronize them. Which meant Gem had never been to any of them.

Hymab was the only public beach in that entire district, and since it was leagues nicer than Plyzh, it was always packed with people from all over the Pentagram.

Plyzh wasn’t empty of visitors by any means, but it was somewhat quieter and Gem could swim without feeling like he was going to drown under the mass of bodies that filled the iridescent dark waters of Hymab.

Given the offensive temperature today, even Plyzh was teeming with people, but Gem and Rusty managed to find an open chunk of sand. They claimed as much of it as they could, spreading out their belongings to ensure there would be enough space for the others.

Gem untied his sarong and fanned it out next to his beach towel while Rusty removed his shirt and used it to complete the border of their patch of land.

The blue sun blazed overhead, and Gem wiped sweat from his brow as he plopped onto his towel, sand already sticking to the underside of his thighs under the skirt of his swim bottoms.