Jack lifted an eyebrow, a habit he’d picked up from Theo. He tried not to think that Jack was better at it than he was. “Somehow I really doubt that.”

“You never know. Maybe I’ve grown tired of you.”

“Oh yeah?”

Jack crowded him against the shelves of the shop, tucked away in the back corner with rows of biscuits. The air smelled sweet and dry like oats. Theo blushed and looked down. Considered saying a few nasty words to get Jack away, just for a few moments, so he could catch his breath.

There was something domestic about this part of their lives, something that seemed adult, or like they were playing at being adults. An old married couple, out to do the shopping, occasionally holding hands in the dairy section. It was—it wasn’t something that Theo had anticipated when he came here. He’d assumed a lot of things, even if he hadn’t formed a real plan of what the hell to do with himself. He had imagined a fair bit of casual sex, quite a lot of drinking, and very little sleep. And that had been relatively accurate, at least until Jack Gardner reemerged, interrupting this newly invented life. He had never considered whatever this was—building a sort of routine. Little things and cozy things and things which made him sugary inside.

“You never know, I might have reached my Gardner limit.” Snide insincerity in his voice.

“I don’t think so.” Jack leaned in farther, hooked a finger through Theo’s belt loop. “Come on. Tell me.”

“Tell you what?” Theo shot back with some irritation. He knew what—this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation.

Jack kept that eyebrow lifted with a little wobble in his dirty smile. Trying to lighten this dark thing he was hungry for. “You know.”

“Oh, honestly.” Theo looked into the basket, then met Jack’s eyes. “You can’t possibly need—”

“I do.”

“Fine,” he muttered as if he were unwilling to say any of this. “I like you, all right? All hail Jack fucking Gardner, not nearly as boring or stupid as he looks, acceptable to spend time with.” And then he shot him his own filthy smile. “And let me tell you, his cock—”

“Okay.” Jack laughed, pulled away, red-faced. “I think we can stop there.”

Theo pushed him back a little farther, the basket between them. “You sure? You don’t want me to tell the whole grocery store,” he gestured to an elderly woman with her own basket, eavesdropping shamelessly, and lowered his voice, “How much I love having you stretching me and filling me until I can’t fucking bear it because you are so thick that I—”

“Jesus.” Jack’s pupils were dilated, eyes almost black. “Be quiet, all right?” He seemed suddenly embarrassed, ashamed of his attraction, even though he had started this. “You’re obscene.”