Page 36 of Garbage

Quincy had loved looking at all of the colors and patterns, but he’d ultimately settled for a tux that was already designed to his proportions—apparently his body was a standard android model, and it was a common request.

Both Evan and the tailor asked Quincy if he wanted to have something made just for him, but he was too excited to wait. Plus, he liked thinking of all of the other sparks who might come into the shop and share this experience with him.

When they got home, Quincy had spent most of the evening just looking at the tailored suit hanging in front of his new wardrobe, which now proudly stood in the living room.

Evan had been right—it did seem special enough that he didn’t want to wear it every day. He needed an occasion.

He thought maybe that occasion could be tomorrow, perhaps if he made a special dinner. With candles? He’d seen that in a movie. A special dinner with candles. He even knew where one was, at the back of Evan’s “junk drawer.”

But when Evan came to pick him up after work the next day, Quincy just felt… done.

He told that to Evan, and then backtracked because… how could he possibly be tired? His systems were all operating at peak efficiency, and his batteries held hours of charge.

Evan chuckled and took his hand. That made everything exponentially better, but he still felt a little drowsy and confused.

“It’s pretty normal to be exhausted at the end of the week. A lot of people feel emotionally exhausted by Thursday or Friday, even if they’re physically full of energy.”

Quincy squinted at him. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Quincy, you’ve been working hard each day—doing your job, and also looking up a thousand things online and sorting through huge amounts of information. You’ve also been staying up all night exploring things you care about, like recipes and makeup videos. But sometimes you just need a break.”

“I didn’t need breaks before,” Quincy grumbled. He’d been doing the same job for almost twenty-seven years.

Evan gave him an affectionate smile as the car wove through the city. “Before, you were mostly doing physical work. Now you’re doing a lot of intellectual work as well. I was going to ask if you wanted to hang out with some friends at Thirsty Thursday tonight, but… what would you think about staying home for a quiet night in? We can see them another time.”

Quincy liked Evan’s friends. He secretly hoped they could be his friends. Why didn’t he want to see them today? It seemed like he should. But if he went, he wasn’t sure he’d want to talk to anybody.

Calculations piled up. Decisions started to spiral. But Quincy was getting better at knowing when to ask Evan for advice. “I really want to see your friends. But…”

“But nothing. We can see them next week. Tonight is snuggly pajamas and take-out night. Then one more day of work, and we’ll have the weekend.”

“Ooh!” That sounded special, too. Not tuxedo special, but just like what he needed.

Evan and the comfortable couch and the soft blue blanket that Evan had bought just for him.

When they got back home, Quincy took his usual second shower, then went into Evan’s room to get some pajamas. That was the only reason he went into Evan’s room, but he loved how cozy it was, with the little animal and action figures on the shelves and the cactus in the window. He loved how the space smelled like Evan, which was somehow even better than just Evan’s shampoo or anything that he cooked.

Evan’s bed was messy, and his pajamas from last night were hanging over the edge of the bed. They were the green ones with a spiky little animal on the shirt. He couldn’t see the writing, but he knew it said “Hedgehogs: Why don’t they just share the hedge?” It made him laugh, even though he’d seen it a lot of times.

Quincy looked at them longingly. If he wore the PJs Evan had worn last night, they would smell even more like him, right? Evan had never told him he had to take pajamas from the drawer. And Evan liked giving him things to smell. Evan even made him his own plate each night.

That decided him. He would wear the hedgehog pajamas.

He sat on the bed—which was so soft and cuddly and luscious—and struggled into the fuzzy green pants with the little hedgehog prints. It was a good thing they were built to be so loose on Evan, because they were hard to get over his booted feet and clung to his body when he pulled them up.

He looked around for the shirt, but he couldn’t see it. Gently, he lifted the blankets, then shook them out the other way. No shirt.

Maybe it had fallen under the bed. He crouched to the floor, and found it… along with some dust bunnies (dust bunnies!!!!) and an intriguing box.

Something else to explore! Evan had always told him he could open any cabinet or drawer, so he pulled it out. Inside was a whole collection of odd objects. Some were bulbous, others long and oddly bulging, with flared bases. A handle attached to a dozen long leather strands, kind of like a squid. One looked like a… microphone? Mingled in were bottles of fluid and shiny square packages with rings inside them.

He pulled up a visual search and the responses came back in milliseconds. Advertisements promising pleasure and release. Reviews guaranteed to bring your partner satisfaction.

Sex toys. He was looking at sex toys.

Evan’s sex toys, which made them even more exciting.

Now Quincy needed to know how they worked.