When Connie woke up again, she expected to be sore and tired but she felt invigorated. Her body was full of a gentle peace under her energetic personality.

But Steven was gone.

Gosh, what had happened last night? Had Steven really had his way with her? The mere thought had her disassociating as she tried to recall every detail: his expression of complete adoration and satisfaction, his strong body on top of hers forcing her to become a pillow princess, his eyes flickering between brown and pink until he was glowing. For her. He'd cum with her, a true miracle when most had zero control of when they did.

As intense and wildly passionate as the evening was, it had been so intimate.

The man was not only attentive, kind and creative, but he was ruthless and passionate. Skilled could also be used. Part of her wanted to feel guilty and dirty about ending up in his bed, but after the amount of reassurance he'd given her she couldn't feel much else but desired and respected. He hadn't pushed at all, in fact she was sure that as much as he had wanted to, he'd have waited as long as she needed him to with zero complaint.

She smiled and rolled out of bed to use the bathroom, deciding that taking some time to freshen up would do her some good as she brought her naked self to look into the mirror.

Connie's heart stuttered at the note hanging there, and she leaned in to read it.

'Good morning, beautiful! I'm making you brunch downstairs, but I can't tell you what it is.

Feel free to use anything you need to. I also got your bag from your car and brought it back for you this morning. It's gassed up and your clothes should be done in the dryer by the time you're up.'

She had to back up and lean against the door. It was almost overwhelming and scary. Steven was a true gem (no pun intended)! How had she gotten so lucky? Someone so kind and considerate deserved something in return, but what could she give him? What did a Diamond Prince celebrity even like?

She grabbed the neatly folded towel and moved it closer to the shower as she turned it on and tested the temperature. Everything was immaculate and clean, she could've probably had a meal off the shower floor. She never would have, but the idea made her laugh.

Steven apparently used a mix of male washes and female washes, and soon she had achieved the same smell that now reminded her of him. He smelled pretty and masculine. Now she did too, and through a blush while she washed her hair, she longed for his company again.

Sure enough, when she checked the dryer all of her clothes were completely dry and static-less. Her other dryer had the worst habit of making her clothes nearly unwearable, and this was a welcome change.

She grabbed her super cropped black jacket with the cute pockets on the sleeves and her purple tank top matched with purple shorts. Instantly she felt ready to eat and after putting her hair up in twin buns, she stilled her nerves and raced down the stairs.

The first thing she noticed was how absolutely incredible it smelled. The shampoo and body wash had masked it in Steven's apartment, but out here it was enough to make her stop in her tracks and raise her nose to take it in more.

The second thing was a stylish couple sitting at the island while something cooked in the oven, one feeding the other yogurt while he sat on his lap. They turned and noticed her mid-bite, and Jacob swallowed. "Good morning, Connie!"

She giggled and pranced over, disappointed Steven wasn't around but happy to see Adam and Jacob. "Good morning! What time is it?"

"It's 11:30, because Steven insisted we have brunch for some reason we don't quite know yet," Adam said with a smirk that told her he might know already. He glanced around and motioned for her closer. "Connie, come here."

She walked over obediently and they both grinned, Jacob looking at her cheekily. "So... how was your evening? I hope you got to bed at a reasonable time."

Connie coughed on a shy laugh. "Counter question: did you?"

Adam laughed at Jacob's red face and tugged on the collar of his undershirt for a kiss. It was white but the thin sweater over it was a diamond plaid powder blue, navy and white combination. It made his eyes pop, the blues against his green... wait, weren't they hazel yesterday? Regardless, his messy sandy blonde hair and freckles made it so cute she couldn't resist the grin. He noticed her observing him and to change the subject nudged Adam up and gave her a full view. "Tell me this isn't adorable, and then tell me the truth."

Connie went starry eyed and squealed. "I've found my people! You're wearing a skirt and it's so cute!"

The white skirt hugged his waist so nicely she would've hit him as androgynous if it weren't for the cute black he/him pronouns pin.

Adam hunched over the island and watched his husband with a tiny smile. "Isn't he pretty? I can't believe he's mine..."

Jacob scoffed "Oh, whatever. You're the one who dressed me for the day." He stage whispered to Connie, "Goths are shy according to him but I think he's a liar when he's walking around looking like a little hottie and he knows it."

Connie craned her neck and noticed Adam was dressed up too. "Oh my god... you guys are goals!"

Adam's was definitively more masculine, but still skirting the line (though less than Jacob was). Where Jacob's outfit was cute and adorable, Adam's had a different tune to it that was just sexy in general. He sported an open and tucked black paisley button up and a half tank with black cargo pants and fishnets peeking up underneath them. His accessories were on point, and she suddenly pulled out her phone. "I just realized I need your socials! I never added you!"

Adam chuckled and spelled it out, then waited expectantly.

Connie's eyebrows almost shot off her head. What she found was an entire page of them being madly in love. Pictures, videos, reels and all the highest quality she'd ever seen. They could definitely pose, both were photogenic, especially together. Adam and Jacob contrasted each other beautifully, and scrolling through the comments, everyone agreed with her. "Oh my stars... you guys are gay icons?"

"Hypermasculine gay icons," Jacob corrected proudly. "We wear whatever we want and still look manly as fuck. I can bench 250 but I'll still take it in the ass."

Adam nodded with a chuckle. "But back to last night, no we did not go to bed on time. Your turn."

The girl let out a breath and bit her lip. "Last night was..." She couldn't even finish. What was she to say when her mind was still a bit disoriented and her body lit up whenever she pondered it?

Jacob put a hand on her shoulder as both got visibly excited. "Oh, you sweet thing you. You had no idea. He went and blew your mind, huh?"

Just then Steven, Trevor and Hazel walked in laughing and shoving at each other. She observed their outfits too, but Steven was the only one of the group that brought everything to the table, and her eyes widened.

Not only was he wearing a pink skirt, but he had on a muscle shirt in the same color, showing off those strong arms. He looked like a much better version of Thor, especially with his hair up in a bun with curls framing his face.

"Boys aren't supposed to be this cool," She muttered to herself.

Jacob smiled at her then raised his voice over the jesting. "Hey, Steven! You'd better check on that French Toast before it gets too crispy!"

He glanced over at him and nodded, then did a double take when he saw Connie. It was so sweet, his cheeks turned red and he excused himself immediately. "On it, but first–," He raised his arms for a hug that Connie happily returned. "How did you sleep?"

"Like the dead," She murmured shyly. "You look very pretty today."

Jacob scoffed. "Uhm, hypermasc femboy is very jealous he didn't get to match with Steven. I love pink."

Steven laughed and checked both of them out in faux irritation. "Come on, you guys. You can't both keep looking good constantly. Isn't that exhausting?"

"Wouldn't you know?" Connie blurted. She wanted to duct tape her mouth shut, but no one teased her.

He smiled big and shrugged. "Wouldn't you?" When she blushed he pinched her cheek. "You need to eat. Now."

What he pulled out of the oven smelled so good she salivated like a dog. Steven presented it with a flourish. "French Toast Berry Bake is served, and I'm putting in a second pan just in case so there's enough for everyone."

Trevor pumped a silent fist and he and Hazel made their way over to marvel at the beauty of it. "By the way, Connie, you're really making a good impression on everyone. And you might wanna check your TokTok after breakfast."

Trevor nodded. "No phones at meals."

Connie hugged them both and giggled at Trevor when he told her good morning. "Someone's chatty today."

He nodded and patted her head, careful not to mess up the styling. "Eat. Immediately."

Her eyes were drawn back to the food but something else was on her mind. "I feel like I just walked into a house of Doms. I am ill prepared."

Steven had been chatting with Jacob and Adam as he dished plates, but heard her mutter. "Don't worry, you'll really only have to worry about one of them."

She flushed and he handed her a plate. "This smells like Jesus made it."

"For all intents and purposes, Steven is Jesus and I swear to God I'm not kidding," Adam replied, ignoring Steven's unamused expression.

"Adam, eat," He demanded. "I hate this theory." He giggled when Adam slammed his hands on the table and gave him a shocked and dubious look devoid of humor.

Jacob raised his phone and started a video. "Watch this."

Steven was taller than Adam by like, two entire feet and yet when Adam snapped his fingers Steven sat where he was sitting rather grumpily and started to eat. Adam slapped his back proudly. "How very intelligent of you to not try Daddy." Then to Connie. "He's getting better at knowing his place."

Steven swallowed his bite. "I only let you top me because I've heard the octave of Jacob's screams and I'm terrified of what you do to him."

They giggled and Steven tapped his food with a fork. "I need honest opinions because mine is biased. This is garbage and I'm scrapping it."

Adam snatched a bite off Jacob's fork and groaned. He chewed thoughtfully, then motioned for Connie to do the same.

Golden brown french toast on sliced brioche with a slightly crispy glaze of sugar to accentuate the slightly duller color of the blueberries, raspberries and strawberries made her stomach grumble. She was hyper aware of Steven watching so she took her bite, but was blown away so much she moaned her praise.

She swallowed and stared at Steven as his eyes showed unreadable feeling. "You have to have downsides. We can't date if you're perfect, Steven."

He buried his head in his hands. "Oh trust me, there's definitely more downsides than upsides."

"That's not true," Alex protested as he walked in, sending a smirk to Connie. "There's a massive, gargantuan upside that cancels out literally everything else."

Connie choked on a laugh as Steven gave them a smolder worthy of a magazine. Annoyed, but amused too. "Stop that."

Hazel scrubbed at his scruff. "Sure you can uh... handle all that, Connie?"

Steven got embarrassed, probably remembering how she most definitely did. "Guys, she's so new. Leave her out of your hormonal boy tal–,"

Connie smiled graciously at Hazel. "Trust me, I can handle it. I'm a fast learner."

They started crowing and high fiving her, giving her yet another boost of dopamine. The people around her were so cool and easy going, but above all nice. She liked that they gave her shit and still managed to be friendly at the same time.

Back home there wasn't much for diversity. She was a city girl trapped in a small town, and worse than that a lot of her friends had moved on to college and other places. She'd finished college online, but content creating was her passion.

Adam cleared the rest of the plates, grinning slightly. "You'll probably want to move in soon, it'll be exhausting and you don't wanna wait too long."

"Right." Steven tipped his head at Connie. "Wanna do it the easy way, or the hard way?"

Her knees went weak and she darted her eyes away before they just gave out. "The easy way. This time."

He stood and held out a hand for her to grab before sending them all pleasant and sweet puppy dog eyes. "Besties, can you wash our plates? Thank you."

Hazel acted dramatic, but couldn't hold back his smile. "Have fun you two!"

Alex looked up from his phone. "PAUSE! Don't move!"

They were both looking over their shoulders, but looked at each other in mild confusion as a camera shutter went off.

Connie sucked in a breath. "Send that to me."

Adam peeked over Alex's shoulder and let out a sound of glee. "Aw! This is almost as cute as we are, Jack!"

Jacob grinned. "Love when he calls me Jack."

Steven tugged her away and at the top of the stairs he paused. "You do look incredible in purple. It's definitely your color."

Connie bashfully swatted at his chest and he turned, a shit eating grin forcing her backwards with her hand still in his until she was against the wall. "I'm glad you agree. Pink is your color for sure, but I think you'd also look fetching in a rich ruby red."

He smiled and leaned down, but paused. "Is it okay if I kiss you for that?"

She nodded eagerly, pleased when his sugary lips met hers.

Connie could remember three other guys she'd liked, but Steven blew them out of the water. Some things were screaming to be careful, her subconscious knew she could be a vulnerable target.

But... then Steven put a hand on her cheek and moved off her lips to kiss the other side of her face. He said nothing else, he just kept his lips against her skin and sighed softly, nuzzling in further.

This man was reveling in something, in... her... and based on what the other boys had told her, it was uncommon for him to take an interest in women.

Instead of freaking herself out, she raised a hand to skim across his cheek and feel the stubble that was growing. His skin was so soft she swore she could've stayed like this forever. A feeling bloomed a bit more inside of her. Her crush was growing: she liked the way he wanted to take care of her, she loved that he wanted to learn about her, she loved how obvious it was that he felt things stronger than others and his excitable smile.

Connie pressed a kiss to his cheek tenderly, wanting to return some feeling. "You're so sweet."

He pulled away after a second and she frowned at the tears streaming down his face. "Steven, what's the matter?"

He shook his head and wiped at his face with a free hand. "It's embarrassing, but I just... don't always connect well cause of growing up the way I did." Steven pulled away and rolled his eyes, casting a rueful glance her way. "I'm mildly autistic if you haven't noticed and I cry when I'm happy."

Connie pressed her hands to his cheeks and wiped away the tears he had missed. "I'm incredibly neurodivergent, and I like you too, Steven."

That seemed to work enough to soothe him and he led her back to his apartment. "Trevor just handed me your keys, but I have a friend who can help us move without us missing the interview."

She gasped. "Is it your Familiar?"

Steven grinned. "That's an awesome book series. I loved the wedding."

Shmaltzy. She had hated the wedding scene because it felt so sudden and forced, but it didn't surprise her that Steven would. Snorting, she followed him inside.