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Siffrin opened the apartment door, recognizing Loop’s unique pattern of knocking. “You’re late.”
“Who are you kidding? I’m fashionably on time,” they said, walking in with bags hanging from their elbows. They sounded tipsy. “Looks like you’ve already got dinner ready! Quite the spread, Stardust.”
“It’s getting cold,” Siffrin said, ushering Loop to the kitchen island where dinnerware and food were arrayed, with candles lit in the center of the island.
“I’m sure it’s fine, Stardust,” Loop said, depositing their laden bags onto a sofa. “I can’t wait to tell you about what I got recently.”
“Is it another lingerie set?” Siffrin pulled out the bar stool so Loop could sit down.
“Better than that,” Loop replied, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. They winked.
Ever since Loop regained their visage and looked identical to Siffrin, they’d been trying new looks. Different hair dyes, piercings, cosmetics, clothes, whatever would make them different from Siffrin on sight.
Their latest obsession was body modifications. They didn’t need to be reapplied like makeup and hair dyes, or washed like lingerie and clothes did. And it wasn’t putting their body at the mercy of just plain Bodycraft. The bonus was how healing craft could help seal the surgery scars within days rather than weeks.
Loop had opted for facial modifications, adding plates to their cheeks and brow to look sharper and more prominent, a far cry from the sparks and angles when they had stars and energy surging through them constantly. It made them look ethereal, lean, and bold, memorable in ways that Siffrin wasn’t, by contrast.
It was all the more intense when they could compare the differences between them.
As Loop chatted during dinner, Siffrin's gaze kept roaming over their body, looking for the newest addition. Loop loved to show off, but only if Siffrin could spot what was new.
They recognized the ridges along the inside of Loop’s forearms, like bracelets embedded under their skin. Siffrin liked rubbing his own arm against theirs, feeling those bumps against his knuckles.
Loop’s low-cut, backless top still showed off the scarification down their chest in the shape of that star they once had. They had a large butterfly tattoo on their back with the metal rings punctured through Loop’s skin. They sometimes threaded ribbon through those rings like the back of a corset and wore backless tops to show it off.
Siffrin didn’t see anything new, but they blamed it on the dim candlelight.
Until they caught a glimpse of Loop’s tongue, taking another bite of sweet dessert. Their tongue split down the middle, licking both sides of the spoon clean in one go.
Siffrin swallowed. Loop gave a smug smile, sticking their tongue out just for him. Siffrin’s eyes widened. Loop made a sound like a snake.
“You went through with it.”
“I did, Stardust!” Loop cooed. They still sounded tipsy, but maybe that was because of their split tongue. “It’s been a lot of fun playing with it. I’m learning how to do tricks with it.” They stuck out their tongue, rolling their tongue and trying to wiggle the tips apart. Siffrin made a face.
“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”
Loop regarded him with half-lidded eyes. “Depends. Want to see how it feels?”
They watched Siffrin’s face as they closed the distance to kiss him. Siffrin pressed back, feeling Loop’s lips open and their tongue explore into his mouth, attacking his own tongue from both sides. He pulled back, dazed. “Stars.”
“Indeed,” Loop replied, lean back onto their kitchen bar stool, grabbing their glass of wine. “That’s not all I can do with my tongue.”