Dinner could wait.
My stomach was jittery with nervous excitement as I washed my hands at the sink and made my way into the living room. I perched on the couch, wiping my palms down my thighs. I’d already stashed the bag of toys next to the couch, because if he was interested in me fucking him tonight, I wanted us to do it in his room where I knew he’d be most comfortable.
How long should I wait before I just moved myself into his room permanently? Did he even want that?
My knee bounced nervously as I waited for Greid to get out of the shower. I turned on the TV to distract myself, flicking to the celebrity gossip show I sometimes watched. The sound of the TV drew Greid’s attention when he finally emerged from his room, appearing in the doorway in his onesie with his wet hair pushed back from his face.
“Shit, sorry, did I take too long? Is dinner already done?”
I shook my head. “No, I just… Um, I wanted to show you something first.”
“Is it a pizza?” He made his way over to the couch. “Like, as an appetiser to the stir fry?”
I chuckled. “Nope, sorry. Better resign yourself to eating my stir fry tonight.”
“I’m just kidding.” He sat down right beside me, shuffling as close as possible and wrapping his arm around my waist as he kissed my cheek. “I like your food.”
I gave him a distracted smile, reaching over to palm his thigh. “So, you know I went to a store earlier that Corva recommended?”
“Yeah. Wait, what store was it again? I can’t remember.”
“Well.” I cleared my throat and said brightly, “It was a sex store.”
I could feel Greid staring down at me. “A sex store, huh? Okay, you definitely didn’t tell me that earlier, because I definitely would’ve remembered.”
Chuckling, I leaned over the side of the couch to grab the bag. “I got some stuff.”
“Can I see?” he asked immediately.
“Of course.” I laughed, reaching into the bag. “It’s stuff for us, Greid.”
I pulled the handcuffs out first and glanced up at Greid. His eyes went wide for a second, throat bobbing, before a big, filthy grin spread across his face as he took them from me. “Nice. I like the pink.”
“I knew you would.” I nudged his arm with a sly grin. “So, want me to handcuff you to the bed?”
“Yes, please,” he rasped, long fingers sifting through the pink fluff lining the cuffs as his ears fluttered.
Pulse leaping, I pulled out the strap-on. “Want me to fuck you while you’re tied up?”
Greid froze. I looked back up to gauge his reaction, seeing his yellow eyes wide and fixed on the strap-on in my hands. He let out a shaky breath.
“Fuck. I… Y-yeah. Yes.” His mouth opened and closed wordlessly a few times, before he hoarsely repeated, “Yes.”
“Is the dick too big?” I looked down at it critically. “I got a smaller one in case—”
“N-no, it’s… It’s not.” He swallowed. “It’s a, uh, demiurgus one, huh? It’s got…”
“Barb-like bumps, yeah.” I fisted the dildo and stroked it a few times, the fake barbs abrading my palm, but not in an unpleasant way. Greid let out a croak.
“So you… Corva recommended this place?” His shoulders hunched as I looked over at him, ears fluttering with anxiety. “Did you… Did you tell her…”
“No,” I rushed to reassure him, letting go of the dick to thread our fingers together. “No, Greid, I didn’t tell her anything. I wouldn’t. That’s private, between us. No one else’s business.”
He swallowed and nodded. “I know. Sorry. I know you wouldn’t. It’s just…”
When he trailed off, I squeezed his hand and gently asked, “What?”
“It’s just that—” He cringed, releasing my hand to scrub both of his over his face. “Fuck, I don’t want to keep bringing her up. I’m sorry.”
Okay, so this was about Agma. I shook my head. “Greid, it’s okay. It’ll help me understand, so I don’t mind at all. Okay? I promise.”
“Okay.” He sighed and rubbed his face again. “When Agma and I split up, she told her friends… stuff. About what I, um, wanted. So it just… It got pretty awkward whenever I bumped into them after that.”
Murderous rage swept through me. “She did what?”
“Yeah.” He picked at the front of his onesie. “A couple of them made some gross comments when I saw them at the grocery store not long after we broke up. Made it pretty clear they… knew.” He shrugged, but the movement was jerky. “I’d gotten somewhat friendly with a few of her friends during our relationship, but that ended after that. So. Yeah.”
Suddenly, him going to the compound made a lot more sense. I’d already been able to tell that he’d been lonely, but this was why he’d actually done it. He’d been ostracised. And his social anxiety would have made it even harder for him to go out and make new friends, especially without knowing who knew what about him in the local demiurgus population.
My hands were clenched into tight fists. I was practically vibrating with fury. Letting out a slow breath, I forced my fingers to uncurl so I could clasp his hand.
“That was a really, really shitty thing for her to do.” I was trying not to squeeze his fingers too tight. All I wanted to do was wrap him in my arms and never let go. “She had no right to tell anyone personal stuff about you.”
“It just sucks because I… I know I shouldn’t be embarrassed about what I like. It shouldn’t feel shameful. But… that doesn’t mean I want random people knowing, you know? And among demiurgus, being submissive is… It’s not that common. I don’t think, anyway. We’re just kind of built to be domineering. It’s what’s expected. But I’m just… not. I never have been.”
“So did she tell her friends about you being submissive, or you being a bottom?” I asked gently. “Because they’re separate things. What exactly was it that they thought they had a right to judge you for?”
“Both, I think.” He rubbed a palm anxiously over his thigh. “The submissive thing is unusual for demiurgus, but I think she found, um, me being a bottom weirder. But it’s not like I only like bottoming. We never did that, obviously, because she didn’t want to. We had sex in other ways.” He hunched up again, ears going crazy. “Sorry. You probably don’t want to hear this.”
“Greid, it doesn’t bother me at all.” I stroked my thumb over the side of his hand. “I’m an adult. I know you’ve had sex before. So have I.”
“Okay. Sorry,” he mumbled again automatically, then clutched my hand tighter. “God, you went out and got awesome sex toys for us and I’ve made it all serious.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I turned to face him, crossing my legs. “I promise you, Greid, I didn’t tell Corva anything, and I never would. She asked about my boyfriend, so when I told her you’re a demiurgus, she asked if we had sex. I just said that yes, we did, but you obviously can’t penetrate me because I’m human. I didn’t go into any more detail than that. I’d never do that to you.”
“I know you wouldn’t, berry.” He turned as well, cocking a knee up on the couch and clasping my hands. “I’m sorry I asked. I trust you.”
Sweet, silly demiurgus. I shifted onto my knees and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into me. He buried his face against the bend of my neck with a sigh, squeezing me tight.
“I understand why you asked,” I told him, sifting my fingers through his hair. “I’m not offended. I’m glad you told me.”