trigger warning: the following thread contains themes of child loss , pregnancy loss , depression and emotional distress.it is being posted for ongoing plot development and character exploration. reader discretion is strongly advised. if any of these subjects may be upsetting or triggering for you, please prioritize your well-being and refrain from interacting.
anxiety had always lived inside bonnie. it settled over her shoulders like a rain-soaked coat that never quite dried, heavy enough that she forgot other people walked around without feeling its weight. it started somewhere beneath her ribs and spread downward until it pooled in her stomach, making every silence feel dangerous and every mistake feel permanent. the psychiatrist had looked at her chart for all of fifteen minutes before saying,
bonnie, you have depression. it's only going to get worse if you don't do something about it.
she'd stared at him then, wondering what kind of doctor could be so blunt. it wasn't supposed to be this way. she had done everything right. she went to college. she worked harder than everyone around her. she took every opportunity her privileged upbringing afforded her and turned it into something tangible, something she could point to and say, i earned this part myself.
some nights, though, none of it mattered. her phone buzzed on the coffee table and she picked it up without thinking.
coach griffin abruptly announces retirement after cheating speculation with lone stars pr manager. divorces from wife of thirteen years.
three and a half years old. three and a half years, and she still couldn't stop herself from reading it.
" fuck. "
the word came quietly , then louder.
" fuck! "
she threw the phone across the room, where it disappeared beneath the couch with a dull crack. by the time cooper arrived, she had already cried herself empty once. he didn't come for her, he came for his things: a duffel bag. some clothes she'd accidentally washed with her own laundry. a razor left in her bathroom cabinet. shoes by the front door. little pieces of a life they'd quietly built together before deciding they needed distance more than they needed each other.
she let him in without ceremony and neither of them spoke. california had only been a few weeks ago. everyone assumed she'd gone home to visit family. to see her parents. to play the role she'd perfected years ago: the successful daughter with expensive handbags and an even more expensive smile.
the truth had fit inside a hospital bracelet , inside the silence of a hotel bathroom. the truth had followed her home inside her suitcase.
cooper's back was turned as he knelt to zip up the duffel. bonnie watched him for a long moment before the words escaped her.
“ i can't. ”
" i can't. "
her voice cracked on the second one. it felt like trying to hold back the ocean with both hands.
“ i got pregnant. ” she didn't know why that was the sentence she chose. maybe because saying anything after it would make it real. he stopped moving. she looked at the hardwood floor instead of him.
“ i didn't know what to do. ” her fingers twisted together until they hurt. " i was scared. i was so scared, coop. "
her laugh was small and broken. " i kept thinking i'd tell you tomorrow. then tomorrow became next week. then i convinced myself i should wait until i knew what i wanted. "
the words came apart as quickly as they formed. “ by the time i went to california ... i woke up before my appointment. ” she swallowed so hard it hurt. “ there was blood. ” the memory arrived all at once. cold tile beneath her feet. white sheets ruined in seconds and the impossible amount of red.
the frantic belief that if she could just clean herself fast enough , none of it would be happening. she remembered sitting on the bathroom floor with a towel clutched between shaking hands , staring at nothing while the morning sun crept through the blinds. she remembered realizing there wasn't anyone to call. she remembered understanding before anyone had to tell her.
bonnie's knees buckled. she didn't fall gracefully. she folded in on herself the way children do when they're too overwhelmed to stay upright, sinking to the floor with clumsy desperation until she was curled there, shoulders shaking, hands pressed over her face as though hiding might undo it.
" i'm sorry. "
the apology spilled out before she even knew who it was for.
" i'm so sorry. "
she wasn't looking at him anymore. she couldn't. the words kept coming anyway. “ i tried. i swear i tried. ” her breathing hitched into something dangerously close to panic. “ i wanted to tell you. i wanted to tell you so many times. ” she dragged the heels of her palms against her eyes until the skin turned pink.
" i'm sorry. "
again.
and again.
like repetition could turn it into absolution. like if she apologized enough, maybe he wouldn't look at her differently. maybe he wouldn't think she'd failed him. maybe he wouldn't leave with his duffel bag and never come back. bonnie's head bowed lower until her forehead nearly touched the floor.
" i ruin everything. "
the sentence barely rose above a whisper.
" i couldn't even... "
she couldn't finish it.
the rest lived somewhere behind her ribs, too sharp to survive being spoken aloud. instead she looked toward him through blurred eyes, not like the sharp-tongued woman who always had an answer, but like a frightened little girl waiting for someone to tell her she'd be forgiven for something she never meant to lose.
cooper had come here without ceremony. just grab his things and leave. that had been the agreement after the argument, after all the shouting and all the things neither of them could ever seem to take back. he hadn't expected to mourn the place on his way out, but he did. it was cluttered in all the right ways. warm even when the windows were open. it smelled faintly of coffee and rabbit hay and whatever candle she'd burned into the walls. it felt like home in a way nowhere else ever had. it felt like her.
he was crouched by an open box when she spoke. for one suspended second, it was as though gravity had forgotten about him entirely. the words didn't register so much as detonate. they tore through his chest with the clean precision of a bullet, leaving behind nothing but ringing silence. she had carried this alone. she had buried it somewhere so deep that even he, with all his watching and worrying and stalking the edges of her life, had never seen it. the air vanished from his lungs. when he finally stood, it was clumsy, the room tilting beneath him. she was folded over herself like she was trying to disappear, and something old and instinctive took over before his brain ever caught up.
“hey. hey.” he reached for her wrists first, gently prying her hands away from her face. “bonnie. stop, angel. look at me.” she couldn't. so he didn't ask again , he simply gathered her up. lifting her was effortless, as if she'd always belonged there, tucked against his chest where every protective instinct he'd ever possessed screamed she ought to be. one hand spread across the back of her head, fingers threading through her hair, the other holding her so securely that nothing in the world could've pulled her away. "sssh," he murmured, rocking almost without thinking. “sssh, angel. s'alright. i've got you. i've got you.” the words felt pitifully small against something so enormous. his palm moved in slow circles between her shoulder blades, steady and patient. there was no captain now, no soldier, no angry bastard who broke furniture and picked fights because he didn't know what else to do with himself.
there was only bear. her bear. the one part of him that had always belonged to her. he could feel his own throat tightening, grief clawing its way upward, but he swallowed it down. there would be time for him later. this wasn't his hurt to carry first. he pulled back only enough to cup her face, rough thumbs brushing away tears faster than they could fall. "you didn't do anything wrong," he said with quiet certainty. "d'you hear me? not a bloody thing."
his forehead rested against hers. “angel...” the word cracked. he shut his eyes for a moment, willing himself to stay steady for her. “breathe with me, yeah? that's it. come on, baby. just breathe.” he drew in one slow breath himself, hoping she'd follow.
"in..."
another shaky exhale.
"out..."
his hands never left her. “you ain't carryin' this by yourself anymore.” and for perhaps the first time in his life, cooper riley meant every single word without needing to shout it.
cooper has long since given up pretending the move is organized. half his life is still packed into mismatched cardboard boxes , each one labeled in thick black marker with deeply unhelpful descriptions like SHIT , MORE SHIT , and KITCHEN ? one particularly overstuffed box slips from his grip as he hauls it up the porch steps , spilling a tangle of hockey tape , old photographs , and enough loose batteries to power a small town. he stares at the mess for a beat before scrubbing a hand down his face. " right then , " he mutters dryly , “ any chance you've got a stronger back than me , or are ya just gonna stand there enjoyin' the show ? ”
he didn't mean to stop in. that's what he'll tell anyone who asks. now there's a gangly mutt with one floppy ear pressed against the kennel door staring at him like they've known each other for years. cooper crouches , rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “ don't look at me like that , mate. i've barely got my own life together. “ the dog thumps its tail harder. he sighs heavily and glances toward whoever's nearby. ” think the little bastard knows i'm about to make a terrible financial decision ? ”
open starter: the hideaway, closing time sunday night
closing the bar was honestly nadia’s favorite shift. she could play her favorite song on repeat for hours without someone trying to change it or tell her their wrong opinions about it. the song was blasting and she sat on the bar top counting her tips for the night. just enough to make rent but not pay for utilizes or food which she knows means that she was going to have to do more posting when she got home. she was in her own mind set that she almost didn’t hear the bell above the door indicating someone was coming in. she swore she locked it an hour ago but maybe not. she turned to look at the person walking in. “i am so sorry. we are closed and i must have been the idiot that forgot to lock the door. we should be back open tomorrow morning and if you tell the morning bartender what happened, we’ll get you a free drink on the house. does that sound reasonable?”
⋆◞⃕ accustomed to late nights , twenty-four-hour bars , and cities that never seemed to sleep , cooper still hadn't adjusted. in his opinion , the town practically tucked itself into bed the second the sun went down. every place worth drinking at seemed to lock its doors before he'd even decided whether he wanted another round. he was deseprate for a drink , now leaning heavily against the doorframe. his knuckles were wrapped in gauze , blood already seeping through in angry red patches. exhaustion weighed on him more than the injuries did. it showed in the way he swayed slightly on his feet and in the rough scrape of his voice when he spoke. " shit , love ..." his laugh was humorless , little more than a breath through his nose. “ that's sweet an' all , but i just need a beer. ” his head tipped back against the doorframe with a dull thud. for a moment he closed his eyes. " this town ... " he muttered. “ everythin' fuckin' closes so early. ”
jason dorsey had exactly one inch on cooper riley and he made damn sure everybody knew it. the moment cooper squared up , jason straightened to his full height , shoulders rolling back as he closed the remaining distance between them. standing toe to toe with a veteran player twice as respected and ten times as accomplished should have made him think twice. instead , it only seemed to encourage him. there was a smugness to jason that bordered on pathological. the sort of confidence that could only come from a lifetime of never being humbled when he deserved it. the grin spread across his face the second he saw cooper react.
there it was. that flash behind the eyes. that tightening in his jaw. the subtle shift in his posture that screamed he'd struck a nerve. jason felt a rush of satisfaction bloom in his chest. he hadn't been looking for a fight nearly as much as he'd been looking for confirmation , and cooper had handed it to him on a silver platter. " there it is , " jason laughed , pointing at him as though he'd just won some prize. " i knew it. "
his smile only widened when cooper didn't immediately back down. if anything , the tension made him more animated. jason had always been the kind of guy who poked at loose teeth just to see if they hurt. " can't even blame you , riley , " he continued , shaking his head with exaggerated understanding. " she's funny , she's cute , got a great pair of tits n'ass. " the smirk never left his face. if anything , it settled in deeper. because at the end of the day , jason wasn't trying to win the argument. he wasn't even trying to be right. he was trying to get under cooper's skin , and judging by the look on his face , he was succeeding beautifully.
jason made a crude gesture with his fist , pumping it up and down. " tell me cap , you need a little blue pill to get you going or do those pretty little eyes do enough ? "
⋆◞⃕ cooper moved before he even realized he'd made the decision. one second jason was standing there running his mouth , the next he was stumbling backward from the force of the shove. the television droned somewhere in the background , a laugh track from another room carrying through bonnie's apartment , but cooper couldn't hear any of it. all he could hear was the blood rushing behind his ears.
“ the fuck did you just say ? ” his voice was low and terrifyingly calm. he crossed the distance between them before jason could answer. a fistful of shirt bunched in cooper's hand as he grabbed the younger man by the collar and yanked him forward hard enough to nearly pull him off his feet. years of hockey fights had taught cooper exactly how to control another man's balance. years of being a kid getting into too much trouble had taught him exactly how much force it took to make someone understand they were in danger. " say it again , " he growled. “ go on. ” but jason didn't need to repeat himself. cooper had heard enough. he'd heard bonnie's name dragged through the mud. heard that disrespectful tone. heard the implication underneath it all. and something inside him snapped. the punch landed hard enough to turn jason's head. the crack of knuckles against bone echoed through the apartment and cooper felt it all the way up his arm. for half a second there was silence before he grabbed jason again , hauling him upright by the front of his shirt like he weighed nothing.
“ you little shit. ” the words hissed through clenched teeth. “ you think that makes you a man , huh ? talkin' about her like that ? ” another violent shake followed. “ you think because you're young and pretty and everybody's spent your whole life tellin' you how fuckin' special you are that you get to run your mouth about people ? ” his grip tightened. “ that's your problem , dorsey. nobody ever taught you there are consequences. ” cooper was breathing hard now , his chest rising and falling beneath the stretched fabric of his shirt. the anger radiating off him was almost physical. because this wasn't about him. it would've been easier if it was. he could take a hit. take an insult. take whatever jason wanted to throw at him.
but bonnie ? bonnie , who opened her home to half the goddamn team when they had nowhere else to go. bonnie , who spent her life fixing problems she didn't create. bonnie , who somehow still found reasons to care about people long after they stopped deserving it. and this prick thought he could stand in her apartment and talk about her like that. “ you don't get to disrespect her in front of me. ” the words came out immediate. absolute. another yank of jason's collar. " you don't get to talk about her like she's some fuckin' conquest. you don't get to reduce her to whatever pathetic bullshit is rattlin' around in that skull of yours. "
his jaw flexed. for a moment it looked like he might hit him again. god knew he wanted to. his fist was already clenched , already ready. but beneath all the anger sat something worse. something he hated. because jason had unknowingly touched the one thing cooper never let himself think about for too long. bonnie could leave. she could walk away. she could wake up tomorrow and decide she'd finally had enough of him. and cooper knew she'd have every right to. that's what made him dangerous. that's what made his stomach twist every time another man looked at her. his eyes darkened. " you wanna hate me ? " he asked. “ fine. get in line. call me a washed-up bastard. call me a fuck-up. christ , i've got ex-teammates sayin' worse.” he leaned closer , crowding into jason's space. “ but you don't ever talk about her like that. ” the words came out as a growl. “ because she's ten times the person either of us will ever be. ” then the truth slipped out before he could stop it. before pride could catch it. before common sense could drag it back down his throat.
“ and if you speak about my girl like that again , i'll put you through the fuckin' wall. ”
⋆◞⃕ cooper turned the tiny dior lip tint over in his massive hand like it was some kind of fragile artifact. honestly , for the price of it , maybe it was. the little bunny charm dangling from the side caught against his thumb as he inspected it again , expression pinched with concentration. “… this is it , huh ? ” skepticism dripped from the question. the tube looked ridiculously small sitting in his rough and calloused palm — like something made for a doll instead of a real human being. but the bunny ? yeah. he knew bonnie would like the bunny. cute little pointless shit always managed to win her over somehow.
his thumb brushed once over the cap before he glanced toward amara , narrowing his eyes slightly like he was still suspicious this entire shopping trip had been an elaborate setup to rob him blind. “ well , ” cooper muttered with a reluctant sigh , slipping the lip tint carefully into the sephora bag , “ i’m takin’ your word for it. ” then , after a beat , he pointed at her with mock seriousness. “ especially since i got you ice cream. ” another pause. “ double scoop too , by the way. don’t think that goes unnoticed. ”
bonnie’s breath hitched the second she felt him there behind her — all heat and weight and looming pressure. bent over the arm of the couch, she felt embarrassingly exposed like this, skirt shoved up around her waist, the cool air kissing her skin while anticipation burned hot underneath it. cooper always did this to her. stripped her down to nerves and instinct. her fingers twisted tighter into the throw pillow beneath her as she arched back against him instinctively, desperate for more friction. the broad press of his cock between her thighs alone was enough to make her dizzy.
“fuck…” the word slipped out soft and wrecked. bonnie hated how easily he unraveled her. outside of this she was sharp edges and confidence and perfectly curated smiles — but here? like this? she turned molten. needy. trembling over almost nothing. her hips wiggled back again in a pathetic little search for more. “yeah,” she whispered breathlessly. “just thinking about it.” she swallowed hard, lashes fluttering shut. “thinking about how you feel inside me…”
a soft whine caught in her throat. “so fucking big.” the admission made heat crawl straight up her chest. she could already feel herself dripping with want, body reacting before pride could stop it. “please…” bonnie started automatically before catching herself with a shaky breath. “captain,” she corrected, voice sweeter now. filthier somehow. “please, captain.” her cheek pressed against the couch cushion as she looked back over her shoulder, eyes glossy and pleading.
“put it in already,” she whimpered. “need to feel you stretch me open.” another helpless little grind backward. “c’mon… don’t tease me now.” then quieter — almost embarrassed by how badly she wanted it: “and… spank me a little?” bonnie bit down hard on her lip afterward. “please.”
just for a heartbeat cooper went still. then a low chuckle rumbled out of him, dark and pleased, "say that again." his palm found her ass and kneaded. the kind of grip that said mine without needing the word. his thumb dug into the muscle, spreading her open. with a sharp intake of breath he hissed a smug observation, “you're dripping.” a sharp crack split the air before she could say another word. her ass cheek stung, the heat blooming outward, and her cunt clenched so hard it made cooper see stars. he'd spanked her. open palm, no warning, just the sudden smarting imprint of his hand. cooper made a sound low in his throat. “say it again, i dare ya.” another slap. harder. right over the same spot. the sting layered and deepened. cooper watched as her hips jerked forward, grinding against nothing, her pussy fluttered. "look at that," he murmured. he traced the edge of her underwear with one finger, feather-light. "every time i hit you, you wink at me."
he spanked her again. and again. each blow landed slightly lower, spreading the heat across her cheeks until her skin felt tight and hot and flushed. her skin bloomed in a pretty pink before deepening to rose, the faint outline of his hand printed on her. "shh." his palm soothed over the welts now, a brief reprieve. “you took that so well. let me see you.” she was bare and bent over the arm rest, her ass warm and stinging, her cunt exposed to him and the cool air. the blunt and hot weight of his cock was sliding between her thighs, not pushing in yet—just rubbing. the head dragged through her folds, collecting the wetness there, nudging against her clit.
"so fucking wet," he said. “this all for me?” the head of his cock caught at her entrance. pressed. not entering, just resting there. he chuckled when she felt her body tighten with anticipation. cooper spread her ass cheeks with both hands, thumbs digging into the sore flesh. he watched how her opening stretched to accommodate the crown of him, the way her slick glistened in the low light. only then he pushed. just the head. one slow, inexorable inch. "fuuuuuck." the word tore out of him, rough and husky, and his grip on her hips became bruising. his palm came down on her lower back, pressing her into the arm rest, keeping her bent exactly how he wanted.
"easy," he grunted. “easy, easy angel. you're so fucking tight.” her pussy lips clung to him. he spread her wider, watching his cock disappear inside her, and the visual seemed to undo something in him. "so fucking tight for me." his voice was wrecked. “look at you. such a good girl taking all of it.” his thumb found her asshole. the tight pucker clenched under his touch. he pressed—not breaching, just teasing, circling the sensitive ring of muscle with the pad of his thumb while his cock bottomed out inside her.
she was full, tretched past what should be possible. cooper's hips pressed flush against her sore ass, and for a suspended moment neither of them moved. then his shirt came off. the fabric ripped as he'd pulled it over his head, it landed somewhere in the corner of the room. his chest pressed against her back. hot skin. hard muscle. his breath was ragged against her shoulder, and when he thrust, it was slow. a long, dragging retreat, then an equally slow plunge back in. he was letting her feel every inch, letting her body adjust around him.
"that's it," he murmured against her ear. “that's my good girl. taking all that cock.” he groaned. thrust again. “you like that? being called my good girl while you're bent over with my dick inside you?” "you're also a filthy little thing." his teeth grazed her earlobe. “kneeling for me. begging for me. calling me captain like you know exactly what it does to me.” his hips snapped forward harder. her body rocked up the couch. his rhythm was still slow, still controlled, but the force behind each stroke had changed—more deliberate, more punishing.
"walking around with those big doe eyes," he continued, “pretending you're innocent. but i know what you are, bonnie. i know what you want.” cooper's hands slid under her knees and he lifted her. her back met his chest as he straightened to his full height, her legs hooked over his arms, her weight supported entirely by his grip and the cock still buried inside her. the new angle made him go even deeper—he wanted her to feel him in her throat, practically, that impossible thickness spearing upward.
his hips rolled. his balls slapped against her clit. the wet, obscene sound of it filled the room. "there you go," he grunted. “take it. take all of it.” cooper kept her suspended and helpless. every thrust drove him deeper. every slap of skin against skin made her cunt flutter around him, and he could feel the orgasm building already—a tight, insistent pressure at the base of her spine, her thighs shaking with it, her cunt gripping him tighter. cooper's mouth found her neck. "you gonna squirt all over my cock?" he adjusted his grip, thrusting inside deeper.
🏒 ﹕ ʚɞ jason genuinely enjoyed being a problem. not the accidental kind either — the deliberate, grinning, poke-the-bear-until-it-snaps kind of annoyance. he carried it like a talent. especially now that cooper’s spot sat open like fresh meat in the water. vacated. ejected. whatever word people wanted to use to avoid saying public implosion. either way, jason saw opportunity. and if getting under cooper riley’s skin came with it? even better.
bonnie’s apartment had unofficially become neutral territory for the team. players wandered in and out often enough that nobody really questioned it anymore. shoes kicked near the doorway. protein shakes abandoned in the fridge. hockey games muttering from the television at ungodly hours. jason showed up uninvited more often than most, usually because boundaries were more of a suggestion to him. thankfully, bonnie wasn’t home. that made this way more entertaining.
jason leaned against the kitchen counter with all the lazy arrogance money and good genetics could buy, eyes dragging toward cooper with poorly concealed curiosity. there’d been whispers for months now. too many looks between the two of them and way too much tension. the kind people noticed even when they pretended not to. “so are you two like…” he lifted a brow, pretending to search for the right phrasing before giving up entirely. “fucking?”
the word landed blunt and unapologetic, exactly how jason intended it to. subtlety had never really been his thing. he wandered toward the fridge before cooper could answer, attention snagging on an instax polaroid tucked beneath one of the magnets. jason plucked it free carefully between his fingers, studying it with a low hum.
“can’t even blame you, riley.” his grin widened slightly as he admired the photo. “she’s cute.” he tilted the polaroid toward the light. “like…dangerously cute.” then came the smirk. the inevitable smirk. “would’ve gone after her myself if she wasn’t apparently into older dudes.”
⋆◞⃕ bonnie’s apartment was warm in that dangerously domestic sort of way. soft lighting, worn blankets thrown over the couch , the smell of takeout and expensive candles mixing together in the air. neutral territory. the place everyone somehow ended up after games , fights , long nights. mostly because bonnie always had better snacks than the rest of them and an inability to tell people to get the fuck out. cooper had gotten used to it , maybe too used to it.
which was exactly why seeing jason dorsey in her kitchen like he belonged there made something ugly twist low in his stomach. the kid was everything cooper hated — loud , reckless , arrogant in that effortless way only younger men could get away with. worst part was , jason reminded cooper of himself before life sanded the edges down into something meaner. the shaker cup hit the counter harder than intended at the question. the protein powder rattled inside it violently. “ i don’t think that’s any of your business , mate , ” cooper answered , voice low and thick with that manchester gravel. controlled , barely.
he tried to let it die there but , then came the next comment. the alpha territorial bullshit. like bonnie was something to win. something to claim. and suddenly cooper couldn’t hear the television anymore , all he could hear was blood rushing hot behind his ears. because beneath the anger was the real problem: jason wasn’t wrong. bonnie could leave. anytime she wanted. she could walk out and choose somebody younger , easier , less fucking broken. somebody who didn’t carry around enough baggage to sink a ship. and the fact that cooper knew that — really knew it — made him vicious.
his hand shot out fast , snatching the photograph from jason before he even fully realized he’d moved. the taller man stepped in immediately after, chest to chest now , broad frame looming hard into jason’s space. years of hockey fights radiated off him instinctively. shoulders squared. jaw clenched. eyes dark.
“ fuck did you just say ? ” quiet. which somehow sounded more threatening than yelling. cooper’s fingers curled tighter around the photograph as he stared him down. the muscle in his jaw ticked once. twice. “ go on , ” he muttered , breath hot with anger. “ say it again since you seem so fuckin’ brave. ”
it was a losing battle whenever cooper got like this. all heat and temper and rough edges sharpened directly at her. bonnie tried to act annoyed, tried to keep the upper hand, but her body betrayed her every single time. she could feel him through the denim of his jeans beneath her palm — thick and hard enough to make her mouth water embarrassingly fast. the realization alone sent a pulse of heat straight between her thighs.
“fuck,” bonnie breathed softly against his skin, almost annoyed at herself for sounding affected. her lips found his jaw first, kissing him there only briefly before drifting lower. slower. she dragged her mouth down the strong line of his neck, tongue flicking against heated skin before she sucked hard enough to leave a mark she knew he’d notice later. maybe in the mirror. maybe in another woman’s bed.
the thought made something ugly and possessive curl inside her. bonnie sank lower until her knees pressed into the soft shag carpet beneath them. from there she looked up at him through her lashes, wide-eyed in a way that bordered on innocent if someone didn’t know her better. but there was nothing innocent about the way her hands moved. she fumbled impatiently with his belt, breath turning uneven the second the leather finally loosened beneath her fingers. anticipation made her sloppy. eager. she hated that too. she could feel him through the denim, even before she’d undone his jeans. that thick, rigid length. her smaller hand had pressed against it and the size of him had made her mouth go dry.
with her kneeling, the tent in his jeans was at eye level. bonnie popped the button. tugged the zipper down. the sound of it was obscene in the quiet room. her tongue pressed flat against the cotton of his boxers, right where the damp spot had spread, and she licked a long, slow stripe up the ridge of his erection through the fabric. the taste was salt and musk and something sharper. her teeth caught the waistband. she tugged, the elastic gave, sliding down over the cut of his hip bones, and his cock sprang free with an eagerness that made her gasp aloud.
thick. god, he was thick. her fingers couldn’t circle him—she knew from experience, but every time it still startled her. the shaft was flushed, veins tracing up the sides, and the head was an angry, leaking red that made her thighs press together. “it’s so big,” she whined, and the words came out breathy, almost accusatory. she wrapped her hand around him. her fingertips didn’t touch. the girth of cooper riley filled her palm, hot and heavy, the skin soft over all that hardness. she stroked once—slow, from base to tip, watching the way the head swelled darker. twice, and a bead of moisture welled at the slit.
her tongue darted out before she could think. she swirled it around the tip, lapping up that pearl of salt, teasing the sensitive ridge underneath. bonnie’s further teasing died in her throat because she was already opening wider, already taking him past her lips. the stretch was immediate—the corners of her mouth straining, her jaw working to accommodate. she sank down, inch by inch, her tongue pressed flat against the underside, tracing the thick vein that ran along his shaft. she pulled back, let the head rest heavy against her lower lip, and looked up at him. his eyes were dark. his chest was rising faster now, the fabric of his t-shirt pulling with each breath.
“you like watching me struggle with it,” she said, and her voice was thick, her lips already spit-slicked. she took him again, deeper this time. her throat fluttered when he hit the back of it, and she made herself stay there, made herself breathe through her nose, her eyes watering slightly. she hollowed her cheeks and pulled back slow, letting him feel every inch of the drag. bonnie did it again. and again. setting a rhythm that had her jaw aching and her cunt pulsing in counterpoint, her own arousal a slick, insistent throb between her legs. she could feel herself getting wetter with every thrust into her mouth, every choked little sound he made above her.
her hand worked what she couldn’t fit—twisting at the base, her fingers a tight ring around him. spit dripped down her chin, onto the shag carpet. she didn’t care. she was somewhere else now, somewhere that was just the weight of him on her tongue, the salt of him in her throat, the way he was starting to lose his careful composure.
cooper’s entire body tensed the second she took him into her mouth, a rough groan tearing out of him before he could stop it. his head tipped back, throat working hard as he tried — and failed — to keep hold of whatever restraint he had left. "fuuuck," he breathed out, his voice rough with pleasure. he hissed sharply when her tongue traced the vein along his shaft, and her nose pressed against the wiry hairs at his base. cooper's hand fell to the crown of bonnie's head, holding her there as he bucked slightly into her warmth. “yeah…” the word dragged out low and wrecked. “there she is.”
his hand settled heavy at the back of bonnie’s head, fingers threading through her hair as his breathing turned uneven. every slick movement of her mouth sent another pulse of heat through him, sharp enough to make his knees threaten to buckle. “christ, bon,” he rasped. “you know exactly what you’re doin’ to me.”
there was something filthy about the way he looked at her too — dark-eyed and hungry. completely consumed by the sight of her beneath him. like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to praise her or ruin her for making him feel this out of control. his hand left her hair, and his finger hooked into the corner of her mouth, tugging it wider to grin at the sight of his cock buried deep inside her. he pulled her off with a firm grip, his other hand wrapping around his shaft, slick with her saliva. he slapped the girth against her swollen lips, the sound sharp and lewd.
“c’mere.”
the word came out more like an order than anything tender as he maneuvered her toward the couch, large hands guiding — demanding. he towered over her for a moment, breathing hard as he looked down at her. he kissed her hard, his tongue claiming hers, tasting himself on her. a groan rumbled in his chest, the kiss fierce and possessive.
with practiced ease he bends bonnie over the armrest of the couch. he kicked off his boxers and jeans that were pooled around his ankles. his cock jutted out, thick and ready, as he loomed closer. his knee nudged against her legs, parting them wider. "that's it...good girl," he murmured, his voice low and approving.
with a dark chuckle, he flipped up her skirt, exposing the globes of her ass. his hands kneaded them roughly, spreading her cheeks to admire her weeping slit. an index finger ran through her folds teasingly, unhooding her swollen clit. she was drenched, her arousal slick and glistening.
"so wet, just from sucking cock," he taunted, his tone thick with smug satisfaction. he lined himself up, the head of his cock rubbing against her folds without entering her yet. his grip tightened briefly, admiring her in a way that felt almost dangerous.
“pretty fuckin’ thing.”
cooper leaned closer, mouth brushing near her ear as his voice dropped lower. rougher.
“go on then,” he taunted. “use that mouth for somethin’ useful and ask for it proper.”
most laugh at the thought of a brand-name store being someone's sworn enemy, but merrick had his gripes about this one in particular. messes with the palate, he says ⸻ makes it difficult to taste anything other than that artificial alcohol smell that clung to your clothes. " right, " he rolls a green bottle in his hand, unaware of scent before he pops cap off and gives a sniff, disgust quick to spread across his features as he shoves it behind something that looks like it hopefully smells better. " they also love puppies 'n rainbows. you don't know a damn thing about women, do you, coop ? "
" 'm gonna have t'judge you. you're the one who asked me t'come along since gianna and bonnie are close, " they had to be the worst duo to consider sending out shopping for gifts ⸻ one being the ultimate sap, the other ... well, he'd get there. " why don't you just get her some flowers ? a nice dinner ? show 'er chivalry ain't entirely dead. i'm sure she'd like that a lot more than ... " he takes the offered ribbon-clad box, squinting at label. " ... a thousand wishes. maybe grant her one that ain't gonna have'er smelling like she just walked off a disney channel set. "
there was an inadequacy cooper felt around merrick that he’d never admit out loud. not even at gunpoint. maybe it was because merrick and gianna looked solid in a way cooper had never managed to be with bonnie. effortless almost. like they’d figured out how to love each other without turning it into a bloodsport. meanwhile cooper and bonnie had spent years circling each other like a housefire neither one knew how to put out without burning alive in the process.
so the second merrick mentioned flowers and dinner, cooper reacted exactly how he always did when something hit too close to the bone — mean first, defensive second. “flowers ? dinner ?” he scoffed harshly. “she isn’t my fuckin’ girlfriend.” the words came out sharper than necessary. immediate and instinctive. like he needed to kill the implication before it could settle into something real.
he shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his jacket, jaw tightening. “just doin’ somethin’ nice so she gets off my ass,” he muttered. even cooper didn’t sound convinced by it. his eyes drifted briefly, expression flickering into something quieter before he caught himself. “besides,” he added gruffly, trying to recover, “she’d probably look at flowers like i’d committed a fuckin’ crime.”
a pause. then, lower:
“wouldn’t even know what kind she likes anyway.” liar.
( open starter from alexander errington ! ) alex scrolled through his phone, brows furrowed deep. he had been at this for twenty minutes, watching short videos on what memes meant. memes. what even are memes? what makes a meme a meme? he had so many questions. he sighed, rubbing at his temples. "apparently, we are all classified under categories. gen alpha? what next—beta, omega?" he grumbled, "wouldn't it be easier to just say what year they were born in?"
⋆◞⃕ he visibly stiffened at the words alpha and omega. for one horrifying second , a deeply cursed memory resurfaced — bonnie doubled over laughing while trying to explain fanfiction to him , shoving her phone in his face as he read something so psychologically damaging it nearly made him religious. cooper blinked hard like he could physically shake the memory loose. “ mate , ” he said flatly , already grimacing. “ don’t ever say that shit again. ” he took a long pull from his beer like it might disinfect the conversation from his brain cells. the glass hit the bar with a dull thunk afterward. cooper's eyes narrowed when he noticed what they were looking at. immediately suspicious. “ and put that fuckin’ app away. ” he scoffed. “ that stuff rots your brain. ”
⎯⎯ wants to stop him but it's already too late , has made it a point to not go anywhere near those scents that emulated food almost a little too well , nose scrunching as candle lifts to his . " what did i just tell you ? " feels like she has to wrangle him , eyes scanning the display before she plucks a more digestible scent from the batch , champagne toast , sweetness that was more subtle than the last . lid is popped off and candle is held up to his nose for a sniff , eyes unable to help their roll as they start what she only knows will be a back and forth volley and her asking a question and him avoiding it until one of them finally gave up . " come on , coop . . . a grumpy old man like you doesn't just walk into a bath and body works looking for a gift on a whim ⸺ either you did something or you're trying to impress someone , " both viable options , but one more likely than the other . " so spit it out or i'm gonna find the worst candle in here and stuff your nose in it , " threat is empty and they both know it , yet still , she's holding another scent to his nose , cactus blossom , citrus scent trapped in a neon pink container no one could ignore . " does she even like pink ? "
⋆◞⃕ “ it’s complicated. ” cooper said it like the words physically pained him to admit. like complicated was the closest thing he had to a language for whatever the hell this thing with bonnie had become. he shifted his weight , suddenly taking amara’s teasing a lot more seriously than he probably should’ve. “ technically , we’re coworkers , ” he muttered. “ she handles press for the team. ” a slow breath pulled into his lungs and — christ — the tips of his ears actually reddened. a rare enough sight on cooper riley to qualify as a public event. “ she’s been around since … ” he paused , rubbing a rough hand over his jaw. “ shit. since i stopped actin’ like hockey was just an excuse to get pissed and punch people. ” his mouth twisted faintly after that , something self-deprecating slipping through. " been with me since i started takin’ any of this seriously. ” for a second he looked exhausted by the weight of it. by memory. by himself. his eyes shut briefly , shoulders rising with a heavy inhale before he finally admitted the thing eating him alive. “ i fucked up , amara. ” it was a quiet and honest confession. “ fucked up so bad i don’t think there’s a way back from it this time. ” he opened his eyes again , and there was something worn out in them now. not angry. not defensive , just tired. “ but somehow … ” cooper huffed a small laugh through his nose. “ somehow she still stayed. ” his gaze drifted out toward the night beyond the balcony. thoughtful. almost disbelieving. “ gives me endless amounts of shit , mind you. ” another faint grin. “ but she’s still there. ” a pause. “ still sittin’ in the front row after every bad hit , cheerin’ for me like i ain’t already halfway to the fuckin’ penalty box. ”
𝞋𝞎 ˖ ⊹ heat unfurled hot and filthy inside bonnie the second cooper dragged her against him. her back arched instinctively at the force of it , breath catching hard enough to hurt. she could feel the anger pouring off him in waves — sharp , ugly , intoxicating. and the worst part ? some sick part of her loved when he got like this. her wrists twisted once in his grip , not really trying to escape. testing him. feeling the way his hands tightened automatically around her.
bonnie looked up at him through her lashes , chest rising unevenly beneath the thin fabric of her shirt , mouth parted just enough to tempt disaster. that soft look lasted maybe half a second , then her expression sharpened into something wicked. “ what if i did ? ” she asked quietly. “ what if i closed my eyes and thought about you the whole time ? ” her head tilted slowly against his hold. “ does that make your cock hard , cooper ? ”
she saw it hit him , good. bonnie stepped closer instead of away, breasts pressing flush against his chest now , bodies nearly locked together. she could feel how tense he was. how furious and how close to snapping. “ c’mon , ” she taunted softly. “ you’re jealous over a man i didn’t even want half as bad as you. ” her lips curled cruelly. “ that’s embarrassing. ” her gaze dropped deliberately between them before dragging back up to his face. “ tell me something , ” bonnie murmured. “ when you’re jerking yourself off at three in the morning , do you think about me talking back like this ? ” she watched his jaw flex. “ or do you think about putting me on my knees so i finally shut the fuck up ? ”
the words came out honey sweet but absolutely poisonous. “ because i know you think about me , cooper. ” she leaned in closer , mouth barely brushing the corner of his jaw as she spoke. “ i know every random girl you drag home ends up disappointing you after five minutes because she’s not me. ” her wrists shifted again in his hands , slower this time. deliberate. “ and that’s the thing that really eats you alive , isn’t it ? ” bonnie whispered. “ you hate me. ” a pause. “ but you still wanna fuck me so bad you can barely breathe. ”
⋆◞⃕ cooper felt the air leave his lungs the second bonnie pressed against him like that. fucking hell. he hated when she got like this. no — worse — he loved it. loved the venom in her mouth , the fury in her eyes , the way she could stand there shaking with anger while making him hard enough to hurt. it made him feel sick in the head. made him want to grab her and ruin her composure piece by piece just to prove he still could. his hands , once curled tight into fists at his sides , moved to her hips instead. fingers digging into soft flesh before sliding upward along the curve of her body. slow enough to feel her breathing hitch beneath his touch.
“ look at you , ” he muttered darkly, eyes dragging over her face. “ mouth runnin’ like a fuckin’ brat while your body gives you away. ” his palms covered her breasts fully , rough thumbs brushing over her nipples through the fabric until he felt them harden beneath him. cooper groaned low in his throat at the gasp she let out. pleased by it … addicted to it.
cooper pressed harder just to hear it again , his cock twitched hot and heavy behind the denim of his jeans. angry with it , aching. he rolled his hips against her instinctively , letting her feel exactly what she did to him. “ yeah , ” he rasped against her ear. “ that’s right. ” another grind. slower this time , filthier. “ got me hard just from runnin’ your fuckin’ mouth. ” his hand slipped down her spine toward the curve of her ass , gripping it firmly enough to pull her tighter against him. cooper’s breathing had gone rough by then , uneven from the effort of holding himself back.
“ y’know how many nights i jerked my cock thinkin’ about that tight little pussy ? ” he whispered viciously. “ thinkin’ about how fuckin’ pretty you sound when you’re close. ” his mouth found her jaw in a hot open kiss. another just beneath her ear. then one dangerously close to her lips without actually taking them. “ all desperate and shaky … ” he murmured. “ cryin’ my name like a dirty fuckin’ girl. ” his teeth grazed her skin lightly before soothing it with his tongue. the contradiction of him always cruelest when he was being gentle.
“ that what you wanna hear , hm ? ” cooper taunted softly. “ wanna hear how i’d bend you over my knee and spank that attitude outta you ? ” another grind of his hips against hers. “ cause you keep pushin’ me like this , bon … ” his voice dropped lower “ and i’m gonna forget why i came here in the first place. ”
while jude has hardly spent much time that he consider memorable within a bath and body works, he is aware that his apartment back in chicago had a rotation of different hand soaps from the store. though, that is more to do with his mother setting his housekeeper loose with a credit card and that meant discovering the multitude of smells that one place could concoct. “ depends … do you only like the color blue when you get gifts ?? ” jude replies with a snort, removing the lid of a random candle and bringing it up to sniff. it tickles his nose in a way that’s not entirely pleasant, almost making him feel like a sneeze was coming before placing it back. “ buying a girl a perfume is always a fifty-fifty shot of whether she likes it or hates it. ” jude takes squints at the box in question. “ are you gifting this to someone you hate ‘cause that shit is ugly and smells bad. try to find the black cherry merlot candle. i used to use the hand soap a lot and i remember it smelling pretty decent. ”
⋆◞⃕ the man couldn’t quite suppress the laugh that escaped him at jude’s brutal honesty. low and rough around the edges , it rumbled out before cooper shook his head in mock offense. “ oi , fuck off , ” he muttered , holding the gift bag up defensively. “ this is not ugly. ” he pointed toward the little plastic bunny keychain clipped onto the ribbon with the confidence of a man desperately trying to convince himself. “ look. ” another point. “ it’s cute. like one of them … labubus or whatever the fuck they’re called. ” a pause. “ … alright , maybe a slightly concussed one. ” even cooper didn’t sound fully sold on it. then came the candle scent. his brow lifted immediately. “ black cherry merlot ? ” he repeated slowly , like he was tasting the words and finding them suspicious. he twisted the tester open and gave it a wary sniff before recoiling slightly. “ that smells like a retirement home trying to be sexy. ” another sniff , this one more offended than the first.
"sure," aurora nodded her head, trying not to flash of look of pure horror and concern as cooper was failing epicly at gifting something for someone else. "i mean, do you even know what the special lady likes? her favorite scents, notes? i know this place can be overwhelming, but you need to have a starting point, the basics," the girl explained. "right now? it seems like you know next to nothing."
⋆◞⃕ a quiet sigh of relief escaped him , shoulders easing for what felt like the first time since stepping foot into the store. finally — someone speaking a language he could halfway understand. “ yeah , ” cooper admitted with a low huff of a laugh. “ you’re right about that. i don’t know shit about any of this. ” his gaze drifted over the endless rows of perfumes and lotions , looking thoroughly outmatched by all of it. like he’d accidentally wandered into enemy territory armed with nothing but blind optimism and a debit card. “ ah … ” he scratched at the stubble along his jaw , thinking. really thinking. “ she always sorta smells like strawberries. ” something softer crept into his expression then, almost absentminded. “ sweet stuff , y’know ? ” he murmured. “ like … sugar and shampoo and whatever the hell girls put on their skin. "
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