#stellewrites asks

you’d been tempted to delete the app all together after the last date, but maybe your neighbour was onto something. maybe you’d have better luck editing your profile and trying out a few dates with the single women in your area instead.

hell, it couldn’t hurt to try, couldn’t be much worse than the dates you’d been on recently at the very least. and it wasn’t like you’d not thought about it before, either.

you’d always shut those thoughts down before when you’d been growing up, but now? you thought about the heat that pooled when you caught your neighbours kissing, or working out in their garden, smoking on the back step or smiling at you when you got home around the same time as them. you thought about it and knew something had to be done.

mind made up, you changed a few of the details of what you were looking for on the app and refreshed it, feeling giddy instead of resigned as you swiped through the profiles.

—

a few nights later, walking back after your date hand in hand with the gorgeous woman you’d spent the last hour laughing with, you caught simon with a smoke dangling from his mouth as he took out the bins. he always pulled yours from the front garden and onto the pavement too without you asking, setting it neatly next to his for the garbage men in the morning.

watching him in his routine, pausing to take a deep drag before continuing, you suddenly felt shy, and a little bit… guilty?

it didn’t help when your date walked you to your door and smiled at you, told you how much fun she’d had and how she’d love to take you out again sometime soon.

half of your attention was on simon as he stalked back up his path, hesitating at his own door mere feet away from yours as he puffed on the last dregs of his cig before stubbing it out on the side of the fence, his eyes never leaving yours once.

you could only nod along to what she was saying, distracted by the grimace pulling at his scarred lips until suddenly she was leaning in and kissing you.

you floundered, hands fluttering up to her shoulders to gently push her back with an awkward, airy laugh, hoping it played off as bashful and nervous more than mean or uncomfortable. you did like her, your date, but simon’s nosy presence was throwing you off.

“you’ll call me?” she asked, a little more hesitant now, and you nodded eagerly, feeling guilty for a whole new reason.

“yes, definitely,” you promised. “i had a nice time too,” you confirmed belatedly. she smiled and leant in to kiss your cheek chastely before heading off with a wave, leaving you to stand awkwardly at your door while simon watched you blatantly.

you flicked your eyes across and smiled stiltedly, feeling like you’d been caught with your hand in the cookie jar for some inexplicable reason.

“have fun?” he asked, crossing his arms over his binded chest.

“yeah, she was uhh— she’s nice. it was nice,” you said and cleared your throat. “took kyla’s advice on trying to date women, she might’ve been right after all.” you forced a soft laugh out to ease the tension but simon seemed to only stiffen when you mentioned his girlfriend. “anyway… thanks for grabbing the bin again, i owe you one. see you later.”

simon wasted no time entering his own home once you were out of sight and bee lined for gaz, sat on the sofa with her legs across johnny’s lap and her head on price’s shoulder. the space simon had left was still empty and price patted it enticingly.

simon had other priorities.

“you,” he said menacingly, pointing at kyla. “she was on another fucking’ date.”

johnny rolled her eyes at the same time as gaz. “let me guess, the bloke wasnae a stunner.”

“wasn’t a bloke,” simon huffed.

price’s brows rose at that, attention caught and held tight.

“what?” gaz asked as she sat up.

“she said she took your advice and she’s started dating women now,” simon huffed as he finally dropped into the seat next to price. “‘your advice’. what the fuck did ya say to her?”

gaz looked sheepish as she thought back to the conversation and sat up straight. she rubbed the back of neck and winced. “basically said she’d have more luck dating women, we’d appreciate her more.”

“and by ‘we’ did it sound like you meant us, or women in general?” price pushed.

“probably women in general,” she grumbled. “but i didn’t want to lay it on too thick and scare her away!”

“fucking hell, gaz,” johnny groaned. she called her hands and stood with fanfare. “right, time for the big guns. i’m sunbathing naked tomorrow.”

“it’s raining tomorrow, johnny,” simon said flatly.

“great, then i’ll be naked and wet, she’ll have no chance.”

“you’re all muppets, jesus fucking christ,” price sighed into her hands. “johnny’s right about one thing though. subtlety hasn’t worked.”

“what’s the plan then?” gaz asked.

“pretty skirt,” he said and nodded down to your bare legs peeking out beneath the denim.

“hm, my boyfriend got me it,” you said, a little teasingly.

“oh? and this boyfriend, he’s left ye all alone to do the shoppin’ has he?”

“no, he’ll be back soon. and he’s kinda protective, won’t be happy seeing me talking to other guys,” you said trying not to smile.

“ah’m no’ scared,” he scoffed, his own smile breaking out as he looked around the aisle eagerly for the aforementioned boyfriend.

“i don’t know, he’s pretty big and strong, wears a scary mask,” you said.

“aye? reminds me o’ my boyfriend,” he said and you finally giggled, leaning in to kiss him and giving up playing pretend.

“dove, they got their tiger bread in stock again,” simon said as he rounded the corner of the aisle and interrupting your kiss. “i ha’n’t ‘ad this in ages.” simon barely paused at the unexpected appearance of johnny, his eyes turning up in the corners as he smiled under his mask. “johnny, look, tiger bread.”

“yeah, i seen, si,” johnny said fondly, crowding you back against the trolley. “only getting the one loaf?”

simon paused. “hm. you’re right.”

you snorted as he dropped the bread into the trolley before heading back to the bakery section and leaving the pair of you alone again.

“work was a fookin’ drag, dove, cannae stand all this paperwork they’re keepin’ me busy with,” johnny groaned into your temple. you petted his arm consolingly before turning back to your list and shopping trolley.

“you were injured less than a month back, john, you can’t have been expecting to be back in the field so soon?” you hummed as you continued shopping with johnny leant over your back.

his silence spoke volumes.

you shook your head as you made your way through the store and waved simon over as you passed him by, hoping he hadn’t harassed the bakery staff into making more tiger loaves last minute for him. the absolute fiend.

“wha’s wrong with him?” simon asked as he got back, hands full as he nodded to johnny’s slumped frame. you refrained from asking simon if you really needed three tiger breads and instead nudged your other boyfriend up from your shoulder.

“he’s bored,” you said easily, grinning when johnny pulled back properly to send you a betrayed look.

“fuck’s sake. c’mere,” simon huffed before dipping down to kiss him, chuffing a laugh as johnny sputtered at the woollen texture of the mask in between them. “you’ll be back in no time. just behave or it’ll be longer.”

“ye sound like cap,” johnny grimaced. he wiped a hand down his tired face. “when are we goin’ home, hm? fuckin’ knackered, could do with a nap before dinner.”

“y’drive ‘ere?” ghost asked while you grabbed a box of eggs, checking for any cracked inside.

“aye.”

“then you can leave whenever,” ghost said flatly, though the glint of his eyes in the overhead lights betrayed his amusement at johnny’s plight.

johnny pouted.

“yer cruel, si. tell him, dove, he’s heartless,” johnny bemoaned dramatically.

“you’re cruel and heartless, simon, would you prefer strawberry jam or raspberry for a change?”

“could be a treat,” ghost conceded.

johnny groaned at the both of you, pinching your hip when you laughed.

“you both know i cannae sleep without someone’s arms around me,” he huffed, turning his big puppy eyes on you both.

you caved immediately.

“aw poor baby,” you cooed, biting your lip when you saw simon roll his eyes. “let’s get this done quick then, yeah? go grab the burgers we like from the frozen section and that ice cream we got a couple weeks back.”

“yes, ma’am.” johnny jogged off.

“si, can i trust you not to make your way back to the bakery if i give you a list of items to grab?”

“no,” he admitted without shame. “i saw the lad in the back prepping more for tomorrow, think i could convince ‘im to cook ‘em now for me if given the time.”

“right. hand holding it is as we find the toiletries then. ‘s like herding cats with you two.”

simon hummed, his eyes trained on the section you knew the bakery to be hidden in.

—

once home, johnny packed away the majority of your shopping in record time, snatching the jam from simon’s hands and almost throwing it onto the work top before plying his mask up one handed and dragging him down into a rough kiss with the other. you watched, amused, with raised eyebrows as johnny dragged him back towards the bedroom desperately, waving a hand at you and gasping out a needy, “dove, c’mon, stop fucking around,” in between wet kisses.

you didn’t need to be told twice before attaching your hands onto simon’s thick waist from behind, guiding them from bumping into any furniture or walls as they stumbled blind to the bedroom.

johnny pulled back with a dopey smile and pushed simon none too gently onto the bed. you took advantage of his lowered height and pulled off his mask completely, rubbing a gentle hand over his buzz cut hair and down to his jaw. you leant in for a soft peck before feeling johnny’s hands and arms wrap around your soft stomach.

he clung to you, nuzzling at your cheek over your shoulder until you turned in his arms to share your attention.

you heard the bed creak as simon settled further up the bed as johnny kissed you. you shuffled back, parting from johnny just long enough to get your bearings and climb onto the bed, simon’s hands moving to guide you back as johnny hummed against your lips.

you flopped back into simon’s arms, got comfortable as he wrapped you up and held you tight against him.

johnny sighed in relief at the sight and shuffled down so he could rest his head on your chest.

you gathered him close and laughed when he started whining when your hands stayed on his shoulders.

“so needy johnny, have you ever heard the phrase ‘patience is a virtue’?” you teased as you started to run your nails through his hair, lightly scratching until he sighed and dropped his body weight against you and simon.

“too t’red,” he mumbled.

simon lifted his warm hand from your hip and draped it heavily over the back of johnny’s neck, keeping him close. soon enough, the scot was snoring.

you tried not to laugh, your chest bouncing johnny with your muffled chuckles. “i think that might be a record.”

“tired lamb,” simon said condescendingly, but he rubbed his thumb lovingly over the soft skin behind johnny’s ear.

“don’t be mean.” you grinned back at him.

simon hummed and rested his head into the crook of your neck, tucking you in closer with the arm still wrapped underneath your waist. “not bein’ mean.”

he nipped at your neck, a soft nibble that had you gasping and clenching your thick thighs around the one johnny had slipped inbetween.

“prick,” you huffed without malice when he stopped and let out a long tired breath in your ear. he hummed with closed eyes, clearly not listening.

you knew given simon’s skill it didn’t really taste like dirt. that your mouth wasn’t full of styrofoam, and that your throat was thick and closed up not because the sponge was dry, but because that dread that had flooded your body since you saw elliot’s face caved in had settled permanently into your bones over the last few days.

johnny’s hand lifted and you opened your mouth obediently and swallowed down another bite. he held the back of your neck as he fed you the cake, taking his own bites in between while kyle pressed close to your other side, his free hand plastered to your thigh.

you shivered and flinched at their touches still and you saw how it upset them. their eyes would grow cold and their smiles tight for a moment before they pretended to move passed it.

your breath hitched and you ducked your head before another spoonful could be pushed passed your lips.

“aww come on, hen, you don’t want another bite?”

you shook your head, unable to speak passed the lump in your throat.

kyle leant forward and grabbed his tea, pushing the cup to your lips before you could stop him. you held on to his wrist anyway and frowned at the over-sweet taste of his drink as you were forced to drink a big gulp.

“simon spent a lot of time on this for us, love,” kyle said, pulling the drink away and kissing your cheek. “poppyseed and lemon, just like you asked for.”

your jaw clenched. you hadn’t asked for it. you hadn’t asked for any of this.

“bit late, admittedly; shame we couldn’t have it at the wedding, but it’s not like y’gave us much notice before we had t’change the date,” johnny added with a laugh. he nuzzled at your temple and you clenched your eyes shut.

kyle’s hand hadn’t left your thigh and as much as you hated to admit it, the soothing path of his warm palm up and down to your knee was helping calm you.

“i just don’t want to eat it all in one go,” you lied, soothing their budding anger before it had a chance to flourish. you’d been good at that with elliot too. “i want to savour it.”

johnny grinned into your cheek, nose squashed against your hairline. “always thinkin’ smart, our girl,” he cooed.

“don’t want to spoil dinner, eh?” kyle joked. “and it’s my turn to cook tonight; alright, i get the hint.”

he squeezed your thigh before standing to put the cake away. somehow the three of you had packed away almost half of it, though with how heavy your stomach felt you figured you’d likely done the heft of the work.

it was a delicious cake. or it had been when you’d first tried it, but it was something you’d enjoyed in moderation. too rich for such over-indulgence.