Unfortunate circumstances send Sydney's mental state into a steady decline as the reality of what catching a bullet for the club really means, catches up to her. But lucky for her, Tig is waiting with a needle and thread to try and help sew up the wound for good.

General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death, racism/gang activity.

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CHAPTER 54: STITCHES

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Sydney had vastly overestimated her ability to handle the pain that her stunt had inflicted. She thought that she would've been able to make it through the party if she spent most of the evening seated, but as the adrenaline pumped through her veins, each pulse shot an excruciating jolt straight to her leg. She grit her teeth as she accepted the round of niceties from the people that she used to call her family, her heart quickening when the chapel door finally opened and released the hoard of scrutiny into the empty bar where the croweaters, women, and children rejoined the mix—finally providing her with an opportunity to slip away.

She let out a breathy cry the second that her car door slammed, hyperventilating as she gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. She ripped the gear shift into reverse, focusing on nothing other than the end that was in sight as she ground her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a deep breath as her car began rolling backwards. She only needed to stay strong for a few seconds longer…

"You're not driving." She jumped at the sound of the muffled command, slamming on the brakes as her eyes flew back open to see the unmistakable halo of dark curls blocking the sun. She forced herself to hold back the groan that formed in the back of her throat as she rolled down her window, looking right past Tig where he stood above her with his arms crossed, at the hoards of bikers who were only a few feet away, surely waiting to see her next move would be...

"You're not driving my car out of here..." She shook her head. There was no way that she was going to show any sign of weakness now, not after all the work that she'd put into appearing strong.

"Alright. Then I'm coming with you, you're stopping down the street, and we're switching." He nodded, rounding her vehicle and opening the passenger door before she could protest.

"R-really?" She asked in a mix of both surprise, and guilt.

"Yup. Let's go." He gestured out the gates

Sydney winced as she put in the clutch, shifting into gear and peeling out of the lot before swerving onto a side street where she pulled up the parking brake, finally letting out the breath that she'd been holding the entire time.

Tig shook his head as he jumped out and pulled her door open, lifting her into his arms and carrying her back around the car where he set her into the passenger seat and closed the door without a word, driving back just as silently while she stared ahead.

"Thank you…" She whispered as they pulled into the driveway. If being in pain couldn't put her in her place, Tig helping her act like she wasn't definitely would.

"Oh, no problem, babe. After all, it's your world, I'm just livin' in it." He mused.

"You're so dramatic." She felt a devious smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she rolled her eyes and pushed her door open, finding a comforting distraction in their familiar banter.

"Oh, you wanna talk about dramatic?" Tig's eyes widened as she turned away from him, opening his own door as she tried to shuffle away from his scolding. "Dramatic is putting yourself in the pain that I know you're feeling right now, and for what?" He followed her up the steps until they reached the door where she finally turned to face him.

"You said that nobody expected me to walk in there." She looked up at him with an innocent shrug of her shoulders.

"You know that wasn't what I meant..." He groaned.

"Well, you should've specified." She smirked as she unlocked the door and crossed the threshold.

"You are such-" He lifted her over his shoulder again, kicking the door shut behind him. "A pain in my ass."

"I'm a pain in my own ass too, apparently." She chuckled as he eased her down to the couch where she winced, looking down at her denim-covered leg which she could see was beginning to swell in the constricting material. "I need to change…"

"So that was your big idea? Put yourself through hell for the rest of the day?" He waved his hands in frustration as he looked down at the damage that she was doing to herself.

"Pretty much." She shrugged.

"Real smart, Syd… Gonna pretend you're fine when we go back to the clubhouse? Put on another tight outfit and walk around like nothing's wrong and leave me to deal with this as soon as you take your bow and leave the stage?"

Sydney felt her face falling as his rant continued, but her guard came crashing down when the final words left his lips. She wasn't one of them, at all. She was a burden to him, just like she was to Happy.

"Don't fucking deal with it then!" She grabbed the first thing in arms reach - a crystal ashtray - and whipped it at the wall behind him, rushing to her feet as the sound of the shattering glass overpowered her stomping as she ran up the stairs to her bedroom with no regard for the pain in her leg as the pain in her heart took over once again. She had been naive to think that history wouldn't repeat itself, that her progress would actually be able to make it through an injury, unscathed. She was right back where she started, but this time, she had no where to run.

Tig stood in the middle of the room with his eyes wide in shock, grimacing when he heard the door slam behind her. To say that he was stunned was an understatement, just minutes ago they had been joking around, but clearly something about his scolding had struck a chord, and now he felt horrible - not just because he knew that the outburst would cause her more pain than she was already in, but because he'd spent days trying to make her feel better, the absolute last thing that he'd wanted to do was make her feel worse.

The tears started pouring down Sydney's face the second that the door shut. She kicked her heels off angrily as she rushed over to her bed where she buried her face into a silky pink pillow, muffling the high pitched sobs that left her lips as she clutched at the duvet in agony. She soon realized that she'd been fortunate during the time that her emotional pain had cancelled out her physical pain, because now she was feeling the excruciating effects of both.

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Tig sat on the couch with his head in his hands, anxiously tapping his foot as he watched the clock ticking above the TV. He'd cleaned up the remnants of the broken ashtray, and now found himself chainsmoking as he ran through all of the reasons why Sydney of all people would've possibly gotten so upset over what he'd said. He dropped his cigarette into an empty beer bottle, deciding as the two hour mark approached that he couldn't give her any more space, he needed to make sure that she was okay.

Sydney sat on the edge of her bed in a haze, staring blankly into the mirror above her dresser with puffy eyes, and tear-stained cheeks. She heard the sound of somebody coming up the stairs, and despite thinking that Tig had left hours ago, she didn't flinch as her body buzzed with a cold numbness.

Tig knocked softly before he pushed the door open, frowning when he saw her sitting with her back to him. "Hey…" He tentatively made his way over and sat next to her on the bed. "Baby…" He shook his head when he noticed that she was still wearing the tight pants that had started this argument in the first place. "What the hell are you doin' to yourself?" He whispered painfully, getting no response. "You need to get out of these." He tried again, reaching over and brushing the back of his hand over her knee.

"I'm fine." She pushed him away, turning her head further from his gaze.

"Sydney…" He felt his heart shrinking in his chest. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be a dick, I just..." He groaned deep in his throat as he unsuccessfully tried to put his thoughts into words. "Look, I'm trying here. Okay? I really am..."

"I know you are..." She nodded.

"But when I see you hurting yourself for us..." He shook his head sorrowfully.

"It's not for you..." She whispered.

"Why does this matter so much to you?" He asked as he rubbed his thumb over her arm. He didn't understand, but he wanted to.

"You were there." She whipped her head around. "You saw it as clear as everybody else did. They don't take me seriously."

"Yeah, I saw…" He nodded. "I saw you put that pussy right in his place. I saw everybody else in that room look at you with respect. I saw my brothers listening to what you had to say. That's what I saw-"

"Happy came to see me in the hospital." She cut him off, looking down at her lap as she twirled his ring around her thumb. "When you were at the clubhouse… Had a nice chat about what a burden I am to him, and how I'm your problem now. So no, they weren't looking at me with respect, or listening to what I had to say. They were tolerating me until they didn't have to anymore, just like Hap's been doing for years." She felt her averted eyes filling with angry tears. "None of them will ever be able to respect me as a brother, if all they see me as is their fragile little sister..."

"What?" Tig shook his head in shock. "Hap loves you, baby… More than I've ever seen him love anything. He'd never think something like that…" There had to be more to the story, and that missing information could only come from the Tacoma Killer himself. He knew that Happy didn't appreciate his nose in his business on a good day, but for Sydney? He would do whatever he needed to in order to help her move past this - even if it meant a black eye or two. "I wish you would tell me these things…" He nodded sadly.

"Why? So you can go and talk to him, throw a few punches, and force him to take it back?" She snarked.

"No." He stated firmly, but unconvincingly. "Because I wouldn't have hurt your feelings by saying something fucking stupid like that."

"I'm sure you would've found some other stupid thing to say." She gave a watery chuckle as she tried to lighten the dreary mood. She'd had enough emotion in the last few days to last her a lifetime.

"Yeah." He chortled. "Probably." He nodded with a bashful smile. "Come here." He pulled her into his lap where he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back as he buried his nose into her hair that still smelled of the generic hospital shampoo. "You could never be a burden to me…"

Sydney nodded, returning his embrace where she squeezed a little tighter, not having the emotional strength to answer him verbally. "Now, let's get you out of these." He patted her leg. "And into something that won't hurt so bad when you're struttin' around later." He winked.

"Tiggy…" She turned out of his hopeful gaze. "I don't wanna go to the party..."

Tig frowned, running his hands down her arms. "You didn't let big bad Tigger ruin it for you, did ya?" He leant down to catch her eyes.

"No." She smiled, feeling a warm blush coming to her cheeks. "I never really wanted to go…" She had previously planned on going, yes. But it wasn't because she'd wanted to, it was because she'd felt the need to prove a point - a point that had already been proven at the expense of her sanity.

"How come?" He asked with much more care than Sydney felt like she deserved, staying silent as her eyes shifted away from his once again. "Well… I want you there with me." He tried to cheer her up, bringing his hands up to her face where his thumbs rubbed circles over her cheekbones before he pressed his lips to her temple. "We can makeout under the stars, and I'll drive so you can drink as much as you want. I won't even bet on the fights… You can do all my gambling tonight, baby." He moved his lips to her jaw. "And I'll even let you win at poker..." He smirked against her neck.

"I was gonna win." She rolled her eyes.

"Nu-uh…" He nuzzled her neck with a smile. "You're lucky we never got to finish… I had so many blowjobs stacked up..."

"You had two, and you were losing." She scoffed with a giggle.

"Was not!"

"Was to!" She shot back before they both started laughing.

"Come on, doll… I wanted to show you off to all your old boy toys… Show them that you settled for a real man." He winked.

"Tig…" Sydney shook her head regrettably. Under any other circumstances, his lips on her neck and the prospect of him spending the evening parading her around would've been more than enough to convince her to do just about anything, but she couldn't do this, not while they were there.

"Okay." He relented, noting by how stiff she'd become in his grasp that this was much more to her than just spending an evening at the clubhouse. "Okay, we'll stay."

"No." She shook her head. "You go… Find out what's happening with Hefner and the guns."

"Syd-"

"Go." She pleaded before he could protest, bringing her hands to his face. "Bring me home something to look forward to."

"I'm not staying long…" He bargained.

"That's okay… I'll be here." She mused pitifully as she slid off of his lap.

"You're getting out of this shit before I leave." He pulled at her jacket and nudged her knee, grateful for her nod before she pulled her arms behind her back so that he could help her shimmy out of the tight leather coat. "Gonna hurt?" He winced as he looked down at her leg.

"It feels okay right now…" She didn't know if the pain had actually subsided, or if her dismal mental state had just dulled it. But what she did know was that the more he paid attention to it, the more uncomfortable she got.

"It looks less swollen." He tried to be optimistic as she cowered under his gaze.

"Yeah." She nodded weakly.

"Baby, I don't wanna leave you like this…" He shook his head with a grimace. He hated to see her so down, and he hated even more to think that he was part of the reason.

"I'll be fine." She leant back so that he could pull off the restricting bottoms, and she could get out of his penetrating gaze.

Tig winced when she brushed him off, his expression souring further as he began tugging on the denim, watching her face contort in discomfort as he tried his best to wiggle the pants down her legs as gently and as quickly as possible. "Okay?" He asked as he knelt to the ground in front of her, lifting her legs slightly so that he could remove the offending garment completely.

Sydney nodded with her eyes squeezed shut as she held onto her breath - which Tig took as a sign to finish the job quickly, rubbing her feet as soon as her legs were bare, stroking small circles over her ankles to help ease the pain.

The discomfort began to wash away as Tig worked her muscles expertly, slowly exhaling the breath that she'd been holding as she regained her composure. She didn't dare open her eyes though, she didn't want to look at it - didn't want to look at him looking at it. All she wanted to do was to get under the covers and stay there for the rest of the night where nobody could look at her with pity behind their eyes.

Tig could feel the tension slowly melting from her body under his rolling digits. He looked up to gauge her reaction, but was distracted but the obstructive view of her lacy white panties teasing his dilating eyes. His mind quickly began to wander to a potentially better idea - and his hands followed, stroking up the smooth skin of her legs.

Sydney flinched at the sudden change of pace, her discomfort being replaced by a feeling of unexpected arousal. She peered down at him tentatively, catching his lust-coated eyes looking right back up at her before he pushed himself to his feet and immediately attached his lips to hers in a sensual kiss, his arm circling her waist to pull her against him. She kissed him back, a flurry of need taking over her as she pressed herself against his chest, pulling at his kutte with one hand, and at her own shirt with the other - only separating from his lips when she felt his hands gathering her shirt at her waist, pulling it over her head before their lips joined again.

Tig dragged his calloused hands across the buttery skin of her torso as their tongues battled for dominance. He pulled away as she began pawing at his shirt more rapidly, moving his lips to her neck as he dragged his hands down her sides, feeling her tensing the closer that he got to the injury site. "I'm gonna try something, okay?" He mumbled against her neck as he began guiding her backwards, feeling her stiffen like a board in his hands. He forced himself not to cringe when he felt her trembling nervously under his grip, bringing his hands back up to her face where he tenderly stroked her jaw. "Do you trust me?" He asked gently.

Sydney hesitated on instinct before remembering where she was, and who she was with. If there was anybody who could make her feel better right now, it was Tig. She nodded weakly, forcing her muscles to relax as she focused on the comfort of his scent, and the familiarity of his hands.

"If it hurts, or you want me to stop, you tell me." He nodded, staring into her eyes with an understanding sincerity that she wished wasn't necessary before she nodded again.

Tig kissed her lips lightly before kissing her cheek, then her jaw, then her neck, letting his lips linger a little longer in each spot as his hands travelled down to her hips. "I love you." He whispered as he slid onto the floor in front of her.

"I love you too." She whispered meekly as his eyes returned to her vulnerable body.

"Keep your hands here, okay?" He took her hands in his gently, kissing her palms, then each of her knuckles before placing them beside her on the bed. His hands returned to her sides, sliding down to her hips where he gently pulled her to the edge of the bed where he was kneeling in front of her. "This okay?" He asked with his lips on her thigh, inhaling her sweet scent as he tightened his grip on her hips to let her know that his hands wouldn't be going any lower.

Sydney nodded, exhaling shakily as the sound of his tender voice calmed her racing heart. "It's okay, baby." He mumbled as his lips travelled up her thigh, talking to her soothingly once he felt the effect that his voice was having on her. "I'm gonna fix it..." He placed a gentle kiss to one of her hip bones, dragging his mouth across to the other where he did the same.

Sydney felt her heart speeding back up again as tears pricked at her eyes. I'm gonna fix it - a simple phrase, but it just so happened to be the simple phrase that Happy had always told her growing up. She let her eyelids fall closed, trying to focus on the feeling of Tig's mouth on her, but it only amplified how foreign she felt in her own skin. The frustration began crawling through her, creeping up her neck, and pushing the tears out of the corners of her eyes.

"You want me to stop?" Tig looked up, rubbing soft circles over her hips while he waited patiently for an answer.

"No." She choked out in a muffled sob, wiping frustratedly at her eyes. She inhaled deeply as she refocused herself, letting the air cleanse her lungs as she felt the patterns that he was rubbing into her skin getting less and less gentle, relaxing the tightened muscles. "No." She repeated more certainly, looking down to meet his waiting eyes. He accepted her answer, letting his fingers dig deeper into the plush skin around her hips as he slowly massaged the pelvic muscles that had been lying dormant since the shooting.

Sydney sighed when she felt the tension leaving not only her body, but her mind - parting her lips as her long breaths turned to light moans, and her legs fell open wider. "That helpin', baby?" Tig grinned as he felt her body begin to relax, just as he had hoped.

"Yes." She hummed as a shiver ran up her spine, arching her back up towards him - which served as his cue to move onto the next step, dragging his thumb down towards the dainty lace as his fingers remained kneading her skin. He traced his digit along the waistband, looping his thumb under the scrap of delicate fabric, and pulling it aside.

"What about this?" He asked as his mouth hovered over her clit before he wrapped his lips around it and suckled gently, listening to the long, low moan leave her throat.

"Yes..." She whined as she tried to catch her breath. The way that her body was so calm on the outside, but so spastic on the inside had her experiencing a euphoric sensation that she'd never felt before.

Tig was thrilled that his on the fly plan had worked, but that had only been the beginning. He knew that she was uncomfortable and embarrassed, and he hadn't been lying when he said that he was going to fix it, but it was going to be in a way that she would never expect.

Sydney moaned wildly as he continued licking her while his fingers worked her tightened muscles. His tongue was perfect on her lower lips; soft, but firm, fast, but slow. On any other day she would've been a squirming mess, but her body wouldn't let her - keeping her confined to the blissful limpness until he brought her to a climax that had her seeing stars while she laid completely still.

"Look at you…" He rasped as he lifted his head from between her legs, dragging his hands up her sides, and then back down to her thighs where he spread them open to see her glistening in the light. "How am I supposed to not fuck you?" He mused as his fingertips danced over her mound.

"You could…" She looked up at him innocently, slowly dragging her hands up her buzzing body and resting them over her tits. She knew that he was still weary about hurting her, but she didn't care. Nothing could hurt her more than the last week had...

"Yeah…" Tig almost gave in, but her sinful body language was the only thing that kept him on track. "Yeah, I could..." He leaned down, hovering over her as he held her jaw and pushed his tongue into her mouth before roughly pulling away. "But I got a better idea." He smirked, winking before he disappeared into the closet and returned with the red leather box.

"W-what are you doing?" Sydney sat up in a panic, but was quickly reminded of the effect that he'd had on her body—leaning back on her elbows as her vision went spotty.

"You think I don't know what's in here?" He smirked deviously as he stood over where she was laying completely exposed.

Sydney felt her entire body ignite with both embarrassment and excitement as she watched him open the lid to the box that he wasn't supposed to know about, and scan her selection of sex toys. She didn't mind him knowing that she had them, in fact, she had planned on showing them to him one day—but today had not been that day.

Tig felt his dick twitching with excitement as he skimmed over the various pink and purple items strewn about the box, forcing himself to stay on task as he fished out the small pink vibrator and turned his attention back to where she was looking up at him with glossy eyes, and red cheeks.

"Don't be shy now, angel." He leant down, brushing her hair back as his thumb stroked her lips. "Open." He ordered, sliding his fingers into her hot little mouth before replacing them with the vibrator, watching as she wrapped her lips around it.

Sydney had to give it to him... He had found the perfect way to restore her confidence, and give her back the power that she needed. Her deviance took over in and instant, holding his eyes with a seductive gaze as she silently begged for his next order.

"Keep doin' that…" He husked as he held the toy in her mouth with one hand, and placed the other over his crotch as he watched her cheeks hollow as she sucked it into her mouth until her lips reached his fingers, pulling back before repeating the action.

Tig couldn't take it anymore as his erection strained against the zipper of his jeans. He hadn't expected her to warm up to the idea so quickly—nixing the time that he had allotted for his own arousal to diminish. Now he was worried that he was going to fall victim to his own plan...

"Touch yourself." He pulled the toy out of her mouth abruptly, placing it in her hand before he rushed to get his belt buckle open, his eyes rolling back as he finally felt some relief.

Sydney smirked up at where he stood with his eyes closed, dragging her foot over his crotch as she turned the vibrator on to the first speed, moaning the second that the toy touched her sensitive clit - thanks to him.

Tig's eyes flew open when he felt her touching him, looking down to see her touching herself. "Fucking Christ…" He groaned. Yes... This had been a very bad idea.

"You like that, Tiggy?" She grinned as she laid back down, biting her lip as she leveraged herself against her foot on his crotch, and arched her back, palming her tits with her free hand.

"Yes." He choked out, gripping her calf harshly as he lowered her back down to the bed, but couldn't bring himself to let go, instead resting her leg against his chest as his other hand pulled his zipper down. "Yeah, baby…"

Sydney felt herself getting more and more turned on as he got closer to giving her what she so desperately wanted. She threw her head back and moaned as she turned the speed up, dragging her other foot down his thigh in an effort to get his pants off.

Tig looked down as she dragged his jeans further down his legs, abandoning his self control as she continued to tempt him. He yanked his boxers down and took his rock hard dick into his hand, slowly stroking himself as he watched her. "This what you wanted?"

"Mhmm." She moaned with an evil smile as she began to pulsate with need at the sight of him jerking off to the sight of her.

Tig's eyes fluttered as the heat emanated from her the more worked up that she got. He swiped the vibrator, weaving his hand into her hair and bringing his mouth down on hers fiercely as he ripped her panties down, and pressed the toy against her clit in a flash. He alternated between massaging her, and pushing it inside of her before he turned it off altogether, pulling her up the bed where he laid down next to her and brought her injured leg overtop of his.

Sydney's chest heaved as she gripped his curls and yanked him back to her lips, grinding her pelvis against him where she could feel his cock rubbing through her folds.

Tig wanted so badly to take her the way that she was silently begging him to, but he knew that the crucial part of his plan was to make her feel like she'd won; like she'd earned it - and that was what he was going to do. He opted for the non-verbal response instead, pulling her head back and kissing her neck harshly. If he couldn't show everybody that she was his, he was going to make sure that they knew when they looked at her.

Sydney knew what he was doing, marking her so fiercely, and two could play at that game. She pushed him back, attaching her lips to his neck where she bit and licked at the salty skin. "Fuck me, Tiggy…" She cooed, pushing her tongue inside of his mouth as she moaned, moving back to his neck which was now heavily marked, just as hers was.

"Careful, Princess..." He warned in a low growl.

"But I need you…" She pouted, stroking his jaw as she looked at him with her lip between her teeth. "No one could ever fuck me as good as you do… No one ever has, and no one ever will..."

"Yeah, I know they won't, baby." He held her face in his hand as his lips teased hers, absorbing her gasp as he quickly shoved the vibrator back against her clit. "Cause I ain't ever letting you go… But you better behave before you get us both into trouble, because you know that once I start with you, I can't stop." His lips were against her ear as he spoke the deliciously irresistible but threatening words in such a soft tone, his hot breath sending shivers through her.

"But I don't want you to stop…" She jutted her lips out, looking up at him pleadingly as she grinded against his cock, bringing her pelvis back against his.

Tig didn't respond, turning off the vibrator again as he stared her down, waiting to see what her next move would be.

"You got me all wet… Don't you wanna use me?" She managed to smoothly position herself so that he was sitting poised at her entrance, slicking the tip of his dick in her wetness.

Tig tensed, holding back the shiver that travelled down his cock and up his chest, staying silent as he peered down at where their bodies were sinfully pressed against one another - moving his hand down to her ass.

Sydney smirked, taking this as her sign to continue. She rocked her hips towards his, humming as she felt him slowly filling her, leaning up and kissing him as passionately as she'd ever kissed a man before, twirling her tongue around his until she finally got what she was after; the inadvertent thrust of his hips. "Sucker..." She grinned as she caressed his neck.

Tig growled frustratedly. Even when his plan was tailored around letting her win, she still managed to pull the rug out from under his feet quicker than he could jump. He began to pull out, listening to her moan before she surprised him again by thrusting her hips forward, squeezing her inner walls around him so that he couldn't retreat - milking his dick for all it was worth.

"Hey." He smacked her ass, gripping it tightly as he grit his teeth. "None of that."

"Why not?" She asked innocently, looking at him with those glossy eyes before suckling his neck lightly as she smoothed her hand up his chest, and continued to rock herself against his dick. "Is it turning you on?"

"No." He lied unconvincingly, pulling away from her greedy lips. "What would turn me on is if you fucking listened." He spanked her again before harshly thrusting into her, stilling himself once he bottomed out. This was no longer a matter of letting her feel like she'd won, she already had, but no matter how hard he tried to focus on staying within his dominant role, all he could think about was how unbelievably hot she was bouncing on his dick, and panting against his neck - throwing gripping into the mix had sealed his fate as a dead man.

"Doesn't feel like you're not turned on…" She squeezed him inside of her again, rolling her head back with a low moan. "I just can't help it, Tiggy… You're so big in my tight little pussy..." She whined, spurring him on as best she could - which wasn't hard as he finally gave in, turning the vibrator back on as he pulled back slowly, stopping so that the head of his cock massaged her g-spot while the pink bullet buzzed rapidly over her clit; a combination that had her quivering in seconds.

Tig smirked once he felt her walls shuddering around the tip of his dick, tossing the vibrator away before grabbing her ass to pull her against him where he finally let himself go, fucking her through her orgasm until he felt her squirting around his cock as her arousal coated his thighs, easily bringing him to his own release.

Sydney felt her mind go blank, blacking out to the sound of her own screams as she clutched his shoulders, digging her nails into the leather of his kutte. She came back to earth a few minutes later, flinching when she felt something between her legs, but she relaxed as a warm sensation enveloped her, looking down to see Tig cleaning her up with a washcloth.

"Like that too?" He chuckled.

"Mhmm." She hummed with a lazy smile as she nodded her heavy head.

"Bet you do, you damn whore." He winked, leaning down to kiss her.

"You love it." She smirked against his lips.

"You keep me on my toes, that's for sure." He scoffed. "Soon I'm gonna have you doin' that every time…" He smirked as he looked down between her legs.

"You wish." She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You're gettin' easier." He nodded with a cocky grin. "And I got way more things in that box to try out." He winked again.

"Shut up." A bashful smile graced her lips, turning to hide her reddening face in the pillow.

"Nah, nah. Come here." He laughed, rolling her back over. "Come on." He nodded for her to sit up. "Let's get you dressed."

"I can get dressed on my own." She laughed as he pulled her up. "Go, keep Cheryl company." She grinned.

"Cheryl ain't around anymore." His tone tightened as he turned towards her closet, avoiding her eyes.

Sydney's brows furrowed. Cheryl's entire life was about being a croweater, there was no way she would willingly leave? But she didn't press the topic any further. The farther away that rancid slut was from her boys, the better.

Tig returned with some pyjamas shorts, and one of his shirts that he'd found stuffed in Sydney's dresser - an unexpected surprise that made him smile, helping her into the loose garments silently before he slid his hands under her arms and lifted her from the bed.

"What're you doing?" Her forehead creased.

"Bringing you downstairs." He stated as he approached the staircase.

"I don't wanna go downstairs." She rolled her eyes.

"I don't care." He mused with wide eyes before he brought her into the living room, setting her down onto the couch where he began gathering pillows and blankets.

"I'm just gonna go upstairs after you leave." She rolled her eyes again.

"Come on, babe… Let me have a little peace of mind." He groaned.

"Fine." Sydney sighed, making a show out of getting herself comfortable on the couch before she caught a glimpse of the empty end table. "I liked that ashtray..." She pouted.

"Gonna have to change my flash to 'custodian'." Tig chuckled.

"Sorry…" She apologized bashfully as she realized that this wasn't the first time this week that he'd had to clean up after her.

"It's okay." He smirked, leaning down and kissing her lips briefly. "I'm just glad you didn't hit me with it." He chuckled, pulling away and moving to the kitchen. "What do you want to eat?"

"Nothing." Sydney sighed dramatically as she held back another eye roll. "Will you please just go?"

"No." He matched her impatient tone, crossing his arms and walking over to the couch where he sat next to her, initiating a staredown until they both began to crack, crooked smiles forming on their faces before they fell into full blown hysterics.

"I just wanna know that you're gonna be okay…" He said sincerely once they composed themselves, stroking her hand lightly.

"I'm okay now." She assured him, and she meant it this time. She knew that some discomfort would likely creep its way back in once he left, but she could live with it after the way that he'd made her feel like herself again.

"You're not just telling me that? Not gonna crack when I leave? Break another flower vase? Throw another ashtray?" He raised a playful brow.

"You know..." Sydney inhaled theatrically, smiling as she shook her head. "One day, I'm gonna get tired of you getting in my head."

"I know." Tig smiled, leaning into her lips. "But not today." He winked.

"Not today." She repeated with a smile of her own, pressing her lips to his in a sweet kiss.

;

Song for this chapter

I Am - Jorja Smith