Jeremy felt the itch. No, he didn't feel like an addict. Addicts need their fix to survive and function like a normal person, even if their addiction is killing them within. Addicts couldn't last more than two or three days without their sweet fix. No, Jeremy was not an addict. But he felt an itch- an itch to see Ben again.

Jeremy had spent several days wondering how he really felt about that Saturday night. After careful insight, he had concluded that he didn't fully enjoy having sex with a gay sociopath and hardly remembered what exactly happened the morning after. Then again, he couldn't truthfully say he didn't hate it. It had been nearly months since he last had sex at all, and cheap porn on the Internet and his own means had entertained him since. But actually being intimate with someone else felt nice, like something pent up had been released.

He sighed and crushed the head of his cigarette into the ashtray. Thinking too much about his sexuality just left him frustrated in the end every time he thought about it. It'd probably be best to just deal with it and see what happens.

He looked at the microwave clock. It was nearly six on a Saturday, so Payton would be home fairly soon. Payton had recently started covering an afternoon shift every Saturday until Fransisco found a new guy to take his place.

Though he didn't seem to mind, since he would be getting paid more. Plus it was a lot calmer in the day because nothing really happened, aside from weekly cleanings of all the hallways by the two janitors. The security office gets cleaned on Sunday, but just the floors- no one cared enough to clean the desk. Fransisco's office was thoroughly cleaned one every other Sunday under the supervision of either Ben, Cheyenne, or Purple.

Jeremy decided to take a long shower to clear his head. This shower was much longer than usual due to Jeremy standing and thinking for most of the shower duration. It felt nice having the steamy water run down his body and hair, but it couldn't wash away the memory of Ben and his tender touches. Nothing would, really.

When Jeremy finally finished his shower and stepped out in just his sweatpants, he noticed Payton standing in the kitchen. He was still in his uniform and had a fast food bag in his hand. He gave a sheepish smile. "S-Sorry I d-didn't bring you a-a-anything," he apologized, "T-thought y-you were gonna h-have leftovers f-for dinner, s-so I…"

"Nah, it's fine," Jeremy reassured, "I'm down with leftovers."

The two men eventually sat down at the table to eat their dinners. Payton had gotten a burger, onion rings, and medium Pepsi (which Payton was kind enough to give Jeremy a taste of) and was eating quietly. Jeremy just heated up leftover Chinese takeout and had beer to go with it. Most of the meal was small talk between the two, as usual.

"B-Ben a-a-asked about you t-today," Payton commented at one point. This was the one thing to make Jeremy stop eating.

"What did he say…?" Jeremy asked wearily.

"J-Just wanted t-to know h-how you were. S-Said you w-were a-avoiding him."

"Well yeah, we kinda crossed boundaries we shouldn't have. I fucked up badly."

"Literally," Payton added sarcastically as he took another swig of his drink.

"Fuck off," Jeremy snapped.

Payton snorted and smiled while the straw was still in his mouth. He rarely ever laughed nowadays. "S-Sorry, y-you set y-y-yourself up there. B-But seriously, a-avoiding him i-isn't gonna h-help it. Y-you're gonna h-have to see him e-eventually. M-Maybe try… t-talking to h-him?"

"Gee, only problem with that is that I don't think Ben feels emotions. All he has is smiling way too much and fucking anything with a dick."

"Y-You'd be s-surprised. P-Plus he's m-more than j-just that."

Jeremy rolled his eyes and smirked. "Oh, so you've slept with him too?"

Payton momentarily choked on an onion ring and his face lit up red. "N-No!" he replied hastily. Jeremy chuckled at his display.

At around nine, Jeremy came out of his room in a fitting t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, ready to go out on the town. The cologne he wore smelled strongly of masculinity, but not overpowering. Payton was sitting on the couch and watching a cop show with no alcohol in sight. He looked sleepy but conscious. Jeremy tried to not look suspicious, though that'd be hard since Payton knew Jeremy had no social life.

When he was one step away from the door and Payton noticed him. "G-Going out?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Jeremy replied, "I don't when I'll be back. Can you hold down the fort?"

"N-No problem," Payton confirmed. As Jeremy opened the front door and stepped out, he heard Payton say one last thing before he left, but decided not to say anything. It was too embarrassing to admit to his intentions.

"B-Ben's home t-tonight, j-j-just so you know."

Jeremy looked at his feet when he knocked on the apartment door at the end of the hall. It was humiliating the way he, a full-grown muscular manly man, was acting like a highschool girl with a crush in sophomore year. He knew he should've talked to Ben earlier, but he had no idea what to even say. Guess he'd have to know what to say now.

'No shame in this, just two consenting adults being co-workers with benefits,' he thought to himself. Though he knew there was a lot of shame on his part in reality.

Ben opened the door while Jeremy was deep in thought. He was wearing a button-up pajama shirt and silky bottoms- probably was getting ready for bed. He gave Jeremy a sly smile when the two made eye contact.

"Stopped avoiding me at last, love?" he asked coolly.

"Was in the neighborhood, is all," Jeremy lied, which he knew Ben could see right through that lie.

"To do what, pay a 'visit' Cheyenne to reassure yourself that you're still heterosexual? She hasn't been sexual since her last job, you know."

"She'd kill me if I tried. So can I come in?"

Ben leaned against the door frame and folded his arms with amusement. "I don't know. I was in the middle of a program, and I usually don't allow for last minute drop-ins. Why should I, hm?"

It took a bit of hesitation before Jeremy could muster up a stupid response. "Fuck you, that's why." He sealed their lips together as he let himself inside, the other's lips still as soft as ever.

Ben smiled into the kiss. "Oh but Jeremy," he said in a husky voice when they stopped kissing momentarily, "You're the one being fucked, remember?"

Cheyenne couldn't sleep. Ben had over yet another guest and it sounded like two bears were wrestling next to her room. It had only been a week and the new guy already came stumbling back to that play boy. No one really knew how he did it; maybe he made a deal with the devil to become a male sex magnet.

She considered getting up to watch TV, but there wouldn't be much on except re-runs of game shows from the nineties (which Ben liked for some reason). So she chose her next option- seeing a fellow gang member. She slipped on a hoodie to look modest and donned her sandals before heading out. It was dim in the apartment complex halls. She went downstairs and to an apartment near the side door, then knocked on the door before her.

"Please, please, please don't let that albino asshole be there," she muttered under her breath. Purple always gave her an uneasy feeling, with the way her glared at everything and never talked clearly. Of course she'd never let anyone see that, though.

She'd also never let anyone know that she secretly loved going to see Maggie in private. She really did feel safe with her, as if the side of her that drowned in false fantasies and insanity didn't exist, even for just a moment.

After roughly a minute of waiting, Cheyenne heard the door unlock and stepped back as it opened. Maggie towered over her in her usual costume-like attire and white mask. She smiled down at Cheyenne with a toothy grin.

"Oh my heavens, Cheyenne!" she exclaimed, "What brings you down here?" She bent down to give Cheyenne a smooch on the cheek. Cheyenne pretended to enjoy having lipstick stain her just-washed face.

"Ben has a friend over and they're being loud. Can I pretty please stay here for an hour or so?"

Maggie became overjoyed and clasped her hands together. "Oh I would love that~! Come in, please, darling!" She scooted Cheyenne inside and shut the door, more than eager to accommodate her guest.

Maggie's apartment was certainly a sight. A sea of clutter and beauty junk was strewn across all furniture- accessories, makeup bottles, brushes, and clothes everywhere. The wallpaper was a dark pink with stripes and the floor was carpeted an old beige color, with the exception of the kitchen, which was tile. No phones were in sight, but an old-looking TV sat in the compact living room. The furniture she had in the living room and eating area looked old too; like what you'd find at thrift stores from the 1960s. Though the kitchen looked fairly modern compared to the best of the house.

"Would you like some tea and cookies?" Maggie asked after going into to the kitchen. Surprisingly, not much clutter was in the kitchen.

"Just tea, please," Cheyenne replied. She sat down at the kitchen table and rested her head on her propped up hand. God, she was tired.

Three minutes later, tea and a few Italian cookies sat on the table on plates, along with silver sugar cubes and creamer bowls. Maggie sat directly across from Cheyenne and readily poured her a ceramic cup of tea. Cheyenne took a drink of the brown liquid. It was too sweet for her personal taste, but Maggie made it, so it wasn't too bad. Maggie seemed to be enjoying her cup, too.

"Who got you the cookies?" Cheyenne asked.

"Oh, Patrushev got them for me~," Maggie replied with glee, "He's always bringing me goodies from his nights out. Isn't he so good to me?"

"Who… oh, him," Cheyenne said, momentarily forgetting Purple actually had a name, "Well, ain't you two cousins and came to this gang together?"

"Yes, we're very close. He said I meant the world to him!"

Cheyenne smiled heavenly and nodded as Maggie rambled on. This was a side of Maggie nobody saw because everybody just saw crazy old Mangle, and Cheyenne loved knowing Maggie like this. Her mental health wasn't the best, but sitting and down and talking with her showed that she was still full of life and emotions. It was like heaven in this little room at this moment, and she savored every second.

Time slipped away as Cheyenne spent well over an hour talking with Maggie, even if her tea got cold ages ago.