Page 66 of Garbage

“Ben can bring them tomorrow,” Quincy agreed.

Evan hated that Quincy was only allowed one visitor a day. But Ben had gotten some sort of special dispensation from work to be the one to deliver and install Quincy’s replacements and mods, which was more important.

“Hey,” Evan said, finally remembering. “Do you want to see what I brought you?”

“You brought me things?” Quincy was bouncing again, which only interfered a little with replacing his sock.

“Yeah. Just some little stuff.” That Evan had spent all day agonizing over. He’d needed to make every item count, and he’d been over the list with Justice, Rashid’s partner, twice.

Quincy opened the bag and started to pull things out. “A cookbook!” He was already thumbing through the brightly colored pages.

“Yeah. I, uh, figured that with a novel you’d read it in a few hours, but with a cookbook you could look at different recipes and get ideas.”

Quincy hugged it to his chest. “It’s perfect. I’ll plan a whole menu.”

“Keep going.” Evan nudged the bag closer.

Quincy pulled out the white mug with the green handle, peeked inside, hugged it to his chest, and then peeked inside again. “Evan! There’s a little frog inside!”

“Yeah, swee–” It was hard to turn off the endearments. “…Q. I got one just for you.”

Quincy had discovered, and quickly claimed, one of Evan’s mugs with a ceramic gnome inside. Evan thought the gnome wasn’t particularly attractive, and it was a bitch to clean, but Quincy loved how he could tilt his hot chocolate at different angles to see it vanish and reappear.

“I figured it was time you had your own mug. I brought you hot chocolate too, but the guards took it.”

“That’s okay.” Quincy was petting the little frog’s head. “Maybe they’ll give me some water.”

Hell. Was Quincy not even allowed water back there? Not that he strictly needed it, but it was still intolerable. “We’ll make hot chocolate at home,” Evan promised.

Quincy started to crumple up the bag, probably expecting it to be empty. “What’s this?”

“It’s chapstick. It keeps your lips moist.” It was also the only thing that Justice had approved, when Evan had suggested a makeup kit, or at least some lipstick.

Coming from anyone else, Evan would have bristled, but he couldn’t argue with a black, fem spark about Quincy’s safety.

Actually, Evan kind of wished it were Justice with him today instead of Rashid. Not that they weren’t both good lawyers—if inclined toward taking turns in speaking with uncanny coordination—but Evan knew how much it would mean for Quincy to connect with another nonbinary spark.

On the other hand, perhaps it was also meaningful to see Rashid, with his close relationship to Justice. Evan hadn’t asked whether their connection was professional, familial, or romantic, but even through their polished demeanors, it was clear they were special to each other. And… he kind of suspected that they might have more than just a business relationship.

“Two more minutes,” the guard barked from across the room.

Evan wanted to scream at the pettiness of the enforced rule, but he wanted even more to spend every second that he could with Quincy.

Quincy’s eyes flashed with sadness. But he pulled out the small tube, broke the seal, and deftly applied it. He looked up at Evan hopefully.

“Looks good,” Evan approved. It was a severe understatement. Quincy’s lips were shiny and kissable.

“You’re permitted one hug,” Rashid told them quietly. “I already asked.”

Evan couldn’t stand up fast enough. Then Quincy’s arms were around him, and his head was pressed to Quincy’s chest.

He could hear the pistons whirring inside, the hum of the small motors that supported Quincy’s existence.

Quincy’s humanoid arms rubbed up and down his back, but they felt woefully insufficient without his other limbs. A hug from Quincy should be a euphoric, full-body experience.

But this was better than nothing. They couldn’t kiss either, but Evan burrowed into Quincy’s pecs, squeezing every inch of flesh he could reach, until the guard called time.

Chapter 16