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“Okay?” Rusty said, sounding even less enthused.

Turning around, Gem grabbed the band of his shorts and tugged them down just enough on the left side to reveal the top of his asscheek. He watched Rusty over his shoulder, grinning wildly as Rusty’s eyes widened, then the Pyclon laughed, covering his mouth with a paw.

“Oh my gods,” he said, and Gem giggled.

“I know. Isn’t it amazing?”

“Oh my gods,” Rusty repeated, and Gem danced in place.

“I know! I was so scared, but I did it anyway.”

Clawed fingers spanned over his hip and ass as Rusty inspected the tattoo. It was still freshly scabbed and healing, but Gem thought it looked spectacular, even if it had been the most horrifying experience of his life.

“I wanted to keep my end of the bargain,” he said as Rusty’s thumb gently grazed over the scabbed R tattooed into his asscheek.

“It’s amazing,” Rusty said around another laugh. “But it’s not my full name.”

“Well, I may have passed out, and the tattooist didn’t feel comfortable tattooing my unconscious body,” Gem explained, cheeks warm at the memory. “So the first letter of your name will have to do.”

Admiring the letter, Rusty grinned widely, tail swaying in amusement. “Best birthday gift ever.”

“Yeah? You like it?”

“Yeah, I love it. It’s… ridiculous and silly and amazing. Like you.” Rusty ducked his head shyly as Gem straightened his shorts and turned around. “And I love it. All of it. All of… you, I guess.”

For a moment, Gem wondered if he’d passed out again because there was no way that Rusty was saying what Gem thought he was saying. Right?

“What?” Gem said stupidly, and Rusty cringed, scratching behind his notched ear.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it weird. I just meant that you’re incredible, and I love that. I love everything about you.” Rusty shifted his weight, tail curled protectively around his leg. “Which, I guess, means that I love you. A lot.”

“I got the tattoo to make you laugh, not because I thought you’d say you loved me,” Gem said, and Rusty’s shoulder slumped.

“Oh. Sorry. I can take it back—”

“No, that’s not—don’t take it back,” he cried, grabbing Rusty with several hands.

“I love you too. Like, so much. It makes me want to build you a house and bake you pies and have your babies, even though I don’t actually have a uterus.

I want you to be the last thing I see before I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up.

I’m gonna love you forever, more than anyone has ever loved anyone else in the history of the universe.

I just didn’t want to say it because I didn’t want to freak you out. ”

Swallowing thickly, Rusty reached up and traced Gem’s jaw with his thumb. “If I was gonna get freaked out, I think it would have happened with the cow closet.”

Gem laughed wetly, blinking against the burn in his eyes. “I love you so much. ”

“I love you too,” Rusty said bashfully, but he didn’t stop Gem from scooping him up and kissing him passionately.

“Get a room!” Oliver crowed from across the cafe, and Gem flipped him off without breaking the kiss.

When they finally parted, Rusty blinked dazedly, and Gem was out of breath, but he’d never been more happy. “Well, if this is what getting the first letter tattooed on me accomplishes, I’m scared what would have happened if I’d gotten your full name.”

“Probably would have broken the universe,” Rusty teased, touching the tips of their noses. “Good thing you passed out.”

“I do what I can to keep the universe intact,” Gem said, and Rusty snickered. “And to even things out. I couldn’t have you being the only one with a name tattooed on your ass.”

“What?” Toni bellowed a moment before he burst through the swinging doors and pointed a finger at Rusty still in Gem’s arms. “You have Gem’s name tattooed on your ass?”

Everyone in the cafe turned and stared, and Gem’s sucked air through his teeth. “I thought I was whispering.”

“You were,” Rusty said.

“I was just eavesdropping,” Toni said, face brightening in a shit-eating grin. “Your trampstamp is Gem’s name?”

“No, that would be crazy,” Gem said, but Rusty stopped him.

He wriggled out of Gem’s arms, straightening his shirt as he settled on his feet. “Yeah, I have Gem’s name tattooed on my lower back. Wanna see?”

The room erupted with noise as everyone converged on them, and Rusty laughed good-naturedly as he turned around and parted the fur above his tail.

Gem laughed and cried simultaneously as everyone took turns inspecting the tattoo.

Then he gleefully revealed his own, showing off half his ass to his coworkers.

And all the while, Rusty sent him a secret smile, the one he reserved only for him.

“I love you,” Gem mouthed.

“Love you too,” he mouthed back, and Gem couldn’t help but bundle him up again and kiss the shit out of him.

When the food was ready and they’d finished decorating the Christmas tree, they all gathered at the tables and took their seats. Before they dug in, Glyma stood and clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention, and they all fell silent.

“Before we eat, I wanted to say a few words and make some announcements since we’re all here together.” She glanced Gem’s way, and he straightened in his seat. “First off, Quin and I are so fortunate to have you all, not just as employees but as friends. As family.

“And we are so happy to see our family growing.” Glyma beamed at Liel, Jude, Bryce, Enfys, and Cya as Quin took her hand. “We’re going into a very exciting but new time, and with the new year comes a lot of changes. But we’re confident that together, we can do anything.”

“I’m getting nervous,” Toni said, and Jude twined their hands as Glyma shook her head.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be ominous, so let me get to the point.

We are officially expanding the business.

We signed a lease on a small location in Greed for a new Passing Through Cafe branch,” Glyma said, and everyone cheered and clapped, most of them looking unsurprised by the news.

Apparently, Gem wasn’t the only one with loose lips.

“We will be getting it ready for opening day at the end of January, if all things go well.”

“That is wonderful news,” Zef said, wings buzzing in excitement.

“Yeah, those Greed dickheads ain’t gonna know what hit ’em!” Toni said, making Liel roll his yellow eyes .

Glyma laughed and nodded. “Yes, it’s very exciting, but it is bittersweet because we’ll be losing two of our own. Gem and Oliver have agreed to team up to run the new location.”

The excited atmosphere sobered some, and Gem fought the urge to burst into tears as Toni sent him a surprised and crestfallen look.

“I mean, I’m only going under one condition: you have to hang a big picture of me behind the counter and put a camera in my eyes so that I can livestream the feed on my phone.

Then I won’t miss out on the inside jokes and you all can’t forget me.

” Everyone laughed for some reason, and Gem pouted.

“I’m not joking. Do they think I’m joking? ”

Rusty kissed his cheek. “It’s gonna be fine, caryd. No one’s forgetting you, I promise.”

“Gem will be our manager, and Oliver will be taking over Quin’s responsibilities in regard to the Greed location,” Glyma continued, and Willow placed a hand on Gem’s shoulder and offered him congratulations.

“Cya will be moving to the day shift to fill in behind the counter, and we have a few interviews lined up, though no official new hires yet.

“But none of this would have been possible without all of your hard work and dedication, and Quin and I are so grateful to all of you.” Glyma blinked rapidly, like she was fighting tears. “But our work family isn’t the only thing that’s expanding.”

Glyma and Quin made eye contact, and Gem had seen that look before. “Oh my gods,” he breathed a moment before Glyma said, “Quin and I are having a baby.”

The shocked responses were all genuine this time—except for Willow, who was already weeping happy tears before Glyma even finished speaking. Unfortunately, Gem’s first reaction didn’t match the others.

While everyone else was saying congratulations, Gem shrieked, “Ew, why?” Everyone froze and stared at him, and he winced. “I’m sorry. What I meant to say was, ‘What a wonderful blessing! Children are, after all, our brightest hope for the future.’”

“Anyway,” Oliver said, giving Glyma a huge hug, “That’s amazing. Congratulations.”

“How you feeling?” Toni asked as he hovered a hand over Glyma’s stomach. “How far along are you?”

Glyma frowned, then giggled. “Oh no, I’m not pregnant. Quin is.”

“What?” Toni’s chin trembled before he blubbered out, “Oh my gods, Quinnie!”

“Oh, Toni, don’t—okay, I suppose I should have expected this.” Quin patted Toni’s back as the Elas practically burst into tears. “Yes, I’m pregnant, and yes, I’m doing well. The baby is healthy and growing, and everything’s alright.”

Sidling up to Glyma, Gem wrapped several arms around her. “I really am happy for you.”

“I know,” Glyma said, squeezing his waist. “Thank you.”

Once all the hugs had been exchanged and the tears had dried, they returned to their seats.

“I suppose that’s all for the announcements,” Glyma said as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

“We’re not sure how things will change once the baby comes.

Quin’s been considering taking some steps back from the cafe, but that’s still very much in flux.

We’ll be as open and transparent with you as things develop. ”

“If the Greed location is so small that only Ollie and Gem will be there, how will they serve lunch?” Toni asked .

Glyma sat down as she answered. “Well, there won’t be any hot lunches served, and for now, we’ll be baking double batches of our most popular items and delivering them each morning. We’ve looked into purchasing a small electric vehicle for deliveries.”

“Who will drive it?” Zef asked.