One week passed and Jeremy was now adjusting the collar his best button-down shirt- a brown one that had actually been ironed for once. Ben told him to dress formal, and considering Ben's elegant wardrobe, Jeremy was sure he had high standards to live up to. Then again, this was kind of one of his bosses, so impressions were everything. He just hoped his button-down and work slacks and shoes were alright- they were the fanciest things he owned after all.

Payton was lying on the couch watching TV. There was an infomercial for an over-priced portable food cooker playing at a low volume. An empty beer bottle sat on the table and a half-full one sat in his hand on the ground. Jeremy couldn't see him from where he was, but he knew Payton was wearing yesterday's t-shirt and sweatpants and sporting week-long greasy hair. He didn't know if Payton bothered to wear his glasses today.

Jeremy looked over his shoulder at him. "Don't destroy your liver while I'm out, okay?" he said, "I'll be back late." Payton mumbled something that sounded like an 'okay' in return. 'Guess he's set,' Jeremy thought.

It was hotter than it had been in weeks. Jeremy felt like he was boiling in his clothes and wished he had worn something lighter. But he persevered, ignoring the beads of sweat clinging to his forehead and strands of loose hair. It was Saturday night, so the streets and sidewalk were bustling with people. Jeremy made his way around all of them, not trying to be too delicate.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he finally reached the apartment complex next to the nightclub. It was an obviously older building that had been accommodated to be more modern. There were only four stories, but it was fairly wide. Only a few windows were lit from the front view, as well as the lobby. Jeremy stepped into the lobby through the heavy glass doors, the cool air hitting him in the face. A tired-looking doorman sat at the desk reading a book. He and Jeremy made momentary eye contact, making Jeremy wonder if he was in accomplice with Fransisco.

Ben's apartment was on the third floor, fourth door from the left of the stairs. Before knocking, Jeremy fixed his ponytail and shirt, straightening himself up. He then gave a firm three thuds to the wooden door before waiting patiently. The door opened very shortly after with Ben in the doorframe. He was wear a vest and blue button down but no tie. He wasn't wearing his gloves now.

"Wow, you actually remembered the apartment number," he said smoothly, "Otherwise you may have woken up Cheyenne, and she hates her beauty sleep being ruined."

All Jeremy could do was let out a nervous laugh.

"Oh, I suppose I should let you in. Take off your shoes, I can't stand dirt on the carpets."

Jeremy did as told, shutting the door behind him in the process as well. Ben's apartment was the pure embodiment of its owner- white and blue themed, everything in its proper place, not a speck of dirt in sight, and it even smelled clean, The furniture was expensive-looking, though Jeremy wondered how much Ben really used most of it, considering how spotless everything looked. A TV was in the living room, but Jeremy couldn't imagine what kind of programs the dude would watch for fun.

"Are you neat drinker?" Ben, who was now in the compact kitchen, asked.

"Uh… yes," Jeremy responded uncertainly.

"Good." Ben took out a foreign brand of wine and two glasses. He uncorked the bottle and poured the velvet-colored drink in generous amounts into each glass. One was handed off to Jeremy, who took the fine china carefully.

"Thanks," Jeremy said, taking a sip. It was smooth and sweet and expensive-tasting. Certainly an upgrade from the crappy beer cans he'd usually get from the drug store near his apartment. Ben walked past him with his own wine glass and bottle in his hands to sit on the couch. Once he set the bottle on the coffee table, and looked back up at Jeremy.

"Sit," Ben ordered, patting the spot next to him. Jeremy did as told. It was a small couch, so Jeremy couldn't sit too far apart from the other.

"This brand is really good. What kind is it?" Jeremy asked, taking another long sip.

"Sinergi Viticoltura," Ben replied, "It's Mexican. Fransisco picked some up from his last visit there. I see you've taken a liking to it. I knew you would."

"Oh yeah. Better than the shit back at home. Then again, Payton's drinking all the stuff I have there right now."

"Hm? I didn't take Payton as the type to be an alcoholic."

"He's been drinking like a fish since he's moved in. Though he's letting me eat all his food, so we're even."

"Well the poor man is devastated over his loss."

"Yeah, but he drinks a lot. Kinda worried about him." Jeremy paused to drink more of his wine. "How's he at work?"

"Nothing too unusual. Of course, he's always moping about and looks constantly exhausted, but nothing too abnormal."

"Uh-huh, that's him at home," Jeremy said. He finished off his glass within the next couple of gulps. Ben gladly refilled it. The two were quiet as they both enjoyed their drinks. Ben was drinking his quite slowly, but Jeremy didn't take too much notice to it. It's not like Ben seemed upset about giving Jeremy as much wine as he wanted. He probably had five hundred more fancy wines in his fancy cupboards in his fancy apartment.

"So how's life for you?" Jeremy continued.

"Good, I suppose," Ben replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "Fransisco has been working me to the bone. More people are screwing up, and you and I know that just means more 'overtime', if that's what we should call it, for us. Though some of the others seem to enjoy it."

"No idea why someone would. Are they all sadists or something?"

"Who knows. Maybe some of the… other members are rubbing off on them."

"Who?"

"I believe you met her. She hardly ever comes out of her house."

"Oh, Mangle?"

Ben paused and a tiny scowl crept up onto his lip for a split second. "No, thankfully they don't get to deal with her. She's enough of a chore already. But I think her aura infects the other mob members."

"She doesn't seem that bad. Sure, she's pretty loopy, but seems pretty competent."

"Oh, she is. Believe me."

Jeremy looked down into his glass. He had never seen Ben so disgusted about a person before. Maybe he and Mangle butted heads a lot (though it was hard to imagine Mangle being in the right mind to not get along with someone). But Ben was still human, so Jeremy couldn't blame him for not liking a few people here and there. He took another long drink of his wine, feeling himself melt into the flavor.

"You know, I have noticed you staring at me recently," Ben suddenly said. Jeremy nearly choked on his drink, putting it down on the coffee table to avoid spilling the red liquid on the white couch as he coughed. However Ben remained calm, as if he was just talking about the weather.

"W-What?" Jeremy forced out. Ben continued to smile at him from across the couch (but Jeremy had noticed he'd inched a bit closer by now). He set down his own wine glass.

"Don't play stupid with me, Jeremy; you're smarter than that. I've noticed you watching me closely, as if with awe. Personally, I never found myself that intriguing, but I suppose you do. Why do you think that is, hmmm?"

Jeremy had absolutely nothing to say at the time. "I, uh… um," he stuttered. His cheeks were burning. A hand had been placed on top of his own now.

"Jeremy, I do like you. I find you much more tolerable than most of the imbeciles here. You follow orders and are competent enough to not break the rules. Yet, you possess a certain charm of a rebel." Ben was now even closer, so close that their noses were nearly touching. Somehow Ben was completely calm, but his eyes showed intrigue and hunger If Ben was planning on slitting his throat, now would be a good opportunity to.

"Jeremy?" Ben said in a hushed voice, "You do like me, right?"

It wasn't like Jeremy had expected this night to go like this, but he wasn't complaining (at least, not vocally). Ben was just as good with his mouth as the fluid words he spoke in conversation. His lips were really soft as he laid on Jeremy's chest, sucking on his jawline; Ben must've done this a hundred times to be that good. His slender features were kind of like a woman's, so Jeremy could imagine if it was one if he wanted to- he had enough alcohol in his system for that.

"You look adorable, love," Ben purred, "Blushing like a schoolgirl. What happened to stoic and cold Jeremy, hmmm?"

Jeremy turned his head away, despite knowing his ears were burning red. "N-Not my fault you feel like a chic," he stammered, "You have the body of a s-schoolgirl."

"Oh, would you prefer someone more masculine? You know, Charlie is quite good in bed, and good lord, he's like a tree with skin."

"No!" Jeremy snapped. He was resisting the urge to lower his hands away from Ben's back while the other moved to his neck. Ben hummed with amusement after leaving a particularly nasty mark. Jeremy glanced back at him. "W-What's with t-that?"

"You know, you have the option to leave at any time. I can easily replace you," Ben replied before moving up to Jeremy's mouth to seal it with his own. Jeremy didn't object too bad to feeling a tongue wriggle into his own mouth. He tasted the wine Ben barely touched.

'Fine, I'll kiss him a bit and it'll be over,' Jeremy thought, 'We're just tipsy. I'll use that excuse and leave soon. Just a bit tipsy, is all…'

The sun peeking through the curtains beat down right into Jeremy's eyes. After stirring and letting out a tired groan, he blinked his eyes open. The bed he was in was huge and had soft white sheets. There were minimalist yet elegant furniture and other things around the room, including a dresser and desk on opposite sides on the room. A medium-sized bookshelf was next to the desk. No photographs were displayed in the room.

It took Jeremy a bit, but he finally realized that he was definitely not in his own house. He sat up and felt goosebumps prick his bare chest- he was naked. His ass hurt bad too. 'Oh no, no no no, this isn't happening,' he thought in a panic.

However to his misfortune, lying next to him was Ben's pale body sleeping soundly. He was shirtless and had serious bed head. Jeremy's heart dropped. "Oh fuck!" He hissed, scrambling out of the sheets.

His clothes had been thrown to a different part of the room in an unorderly fashion. He dressed himself quickly, not bothering to tie his shoes after grabbing them from where he left them on the doormat. There was no way in hell he'd face Ben after whatever they did last night, which Jeremy barely remembered now that he thought about it. He didn't even want to think about what work will be like a Monday. He left without any hesitation.

When he left the apartment complex through the side stairs, he crashed into someone right outside the door. It was Purple, who was smoking and rubbing something red off his face. 'Lipstick…? Looks like Mangle's color,' Jeremy thought. The other was obviously not happy about being crashed into, unless that was just his default expression.

"S-Sorry," Jeremy said, then looking at Purple's cigarette. He took out one of his own, but had realized he left his lighter at Ben's after rummaging in his pockets, and he'd rather not go back for it. "Shit, you got a lighter?"

Purple handed him one and Jeremy thanked him for it. "So, uh, what're you doing here so early?" Jeremy asked.

It took Purple a few seconds of a silent cold stare to respond. "I live here," he said flatly, "Landlord hates 't when I smoke 'n the buildin'."

"Oh," Jeremy responded.

"But you don' live here."

"I was visiting someone. Was that lipstick on your cheek?"

"Yeah, so?"

Jeremy didn't know how to respond to that. Instead, he just waved Purple goodbye and went on his way. However, he pretended not to hear the other say something as he was speed walking off.

"Nice hickeys, Fitzgerald."