#Syd is trying to open the restaurant and Richie steps up! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fooled-around-and-fell · 6 months

Text

A Romantic

summary: carmen sees how surprisingly romantic richie is towards his girl, and decides that he wants to be like that for his girl, too.

genre: fluff

warnings: cursing

Masterlist

-----

"aw, baby," richie's girl squeals in joy when richie surprises her with yet another bouquet of flowers. it was only yesterday when richie got her a bouquet of flowers just as big.

"only the best for my lady," he tips his non-existent hat and speaks in a british accent. "now, shall we head to the restaurant? I believe we have a reservation in... 15 minutes."

linking her arm gleefully, they both walked down the road to the fancy restaurant that just opened nearby.

"wow." syd chuckles. "who knew richie could be so..."

"i know i hate to say it..." you sigh and share a look with her.

"romantic."

carmen overhears your conversation and his ears perk up.

"it's a little much," syd says, "that bouquet of flowers was bigger than her own head."

you laugh, "yeah it is a little much. i wouldn't say no to flowers though."

"of course not. when was the last time carmen got you flowers like that?"

laughing again, you shake her off. "our relationship is not like that-"

not like what? carmen frowns.

"-you mean he's not like that." syd smirks. "you know you want flowers."

you send her a look. "syd, come on. sure, they're beautiful, but i don't need to be given flowers. i like my quality time with carmen."

syd chuckles, "i know what you mean! i do. but like you said, you wouldn't say no to flowers, right?"

"...no."

carmen walks away from your private conversation, his frown staying. he needs to step up his game.

-----

one night, you're home first before carmen. he said he needed to close, so he'll be late but will still have dinner together with you. so after work, you stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things, and now you just got back, ready to prepare dinner for the both of you.

only... when you enter your shared apartment, carmen is lighting candles on your dining table. two delicious looking plates of food are already served, and the only thing missing is the two people in love.

"carmen... what's all this?" you ask with an amused smile.

he shrugs. "wanted to surprise you."

you hung your coat on the rack and walk towards him. "i'm definitely- oh!"

carmen pulls out a bouquet of flowers from his back and almost hit your nose in the process. "sorry."

laughing, you take the flowers and kiss him. "thank you. they're beautiful."

"you're beautiful." he whispers before kissing you again.

"what's the special occasion?" you ask while he pulls out your chair for you. "are we celebrating something?"

"nope," carmen says, "just wanted to do something nice."

your eyes squint for a moment but you decide to let it go and just enjoy the evening with your boyfriend.

you don't realize that last night's gestures happened because carmen had overheard your conversation with syd. then you wake up the next morning with carmen bringing over breakfast with more flowers and you know something's not right.

"come here," you pat the spot next to you and he sits.

"what's wrong?" he asks, "did you want waffles instead of pancakes-"

"carmen, what's going on, really?"

he shrugs, acting like he has no idea what you're on about.

"candle-lit dinner last night, and now breakfast in bed?" you ask.

"like i said, i just wanted to do something nice for you, babe."

you raise your brow at him, signaling that he can't fool anyone, and he finally breaks.

"fine." he sighs, "i... heard you talking to syd the other day. about richie being all romantic to his girl and i don't know... it sounded like you'd appreciate it if i could be more romantic, so.."

he started mumbling and rambling and you find it so cute.

"aw, carmy." you chuckle and caress his cheek. "you are romantic. not in the way richie is, but you are."

he rolls his eyes, "sure."

"i'm serious." you say. "who folds back all of the clothes i try on and off before going to work even when i told you i'll do it later?"

carmen glances at you. "i do?"

"you do." you confirm. "you know what else you do? you always put notes on my lunch box. you always check whether my plants need to be watered or not -- and you water them if they need to be! you also always offer to get the groceries, and when you do you always get my favorite ice cream even when i didn't ask for it."

"you know when i had a bad day, and you know exactly how to cheer me up. you're always there for me, even when i'm angry at you." you continue, "you are romantic, carmen. very, very much so. not in the way richie is, but i don't want that anyway. i want your version of romance."

"that's really cheesy, you know." carmen smiles while listening to your words.

"sue me."

he moves the breakfast tray to the nightstand and kisses you passionately. he makes you lay back on the bed and hands you your phone.

"might wanna tell work you're gonna be late today."

770 notes · View notes

aestheticaltcow · 28 days

Text

Two Months

Part 4 of the Six Months series MDNI 18+

Part 1: Six Months Part 2: The Night When It Went Wrong Part 3: The Aftermath

Carmy really fucked up, but maybe he can prove his worthiness and get his girls back.

Carmy sighed when his call went to voicemail after a few rings. He pushed a hand through his hair and listened to your voicemail message, “Hey baby- I just wanted to know if I could see Mia. I know you don’t want to see me, but I need to see her… if you could just bring her by the restaurant, that would be fine. I just want to hold my daughter. Uh- yeah. I’m sorry, I’m a fuckin’ dumbass. Please just give me five minutes to explain everything. Let me know. I love you.” he hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. He stared up at the ceiling as he thought about you and Mia. It had been a couple of weeks since he’d seen either of you, and he just needed his girls again.

“Asshole. Sign here.” Natalie barked at Carmy as she entered the office with an ordering forum. She shoved the papers at him before crossing her arms over her chest. “Natalie, I get it okay. I fucked up. My wife kicked me out of our house, I’m living in a shitty hotel, and I haven’t seen my daughter in weeks. I’m not in the fucking mood to deal with your bitching.” Carmy replied, glaring at his sister. She rolled her eyes, “You turned out so much like Dad.” she laughed, yanking the documents back. Carmy huffed, “Fuck you.”

“Right back at you, Carmen,” Natalie said, slamming the door behind her as she exited the office. “You okay, Sugar?” Richie questioned softly, noticing the anger in her eyes. She rolled her eyes and pushed past him without saying anything; being in the same vicinity as Carmy was irritating. Whenever she saw his face, she thought of Mia and how Carmy had repeated their father's actions. Natalie sighed when she got into her car, “I’m sorry you had to hear that, baby… let’s go get your brother.”

“Hey, Carm- everything okay with Y/N?” Richie awkwardly asked as Carmy was doing prep for that night's dinner service. “What do you think fuckhead?” Carmy snarkily responded; Richie rolled his eyes and decided to match his energy. “Well, she texted Tiff asking for her DIVORCE LAWYER’S info.” he leaned against the counter with a shit-eating grin. Carmy slammed his knife down and pushed past Richie to go into the alley. “That was fucked up, kid.” Tina scolded as she exited the walk-in. Richie shrugged, “I was going to be subtle, but he’s being a little bitch.”

Carmy closed his eyes, fighting back tears when Syd showed up for prep. “Hey Carmen, are you okay?” she asked, stepping closer. He shook his head and let out a puff of air, “Y/N’s gonna leave me- I fuckin’ deserve it, but I want my wife Sydney. She won’t even fuckin’ talk to me, but she’ll fuckin’ divorce me? It’s bullshit.” Carmy cried to her. Syd stood there for a moment to collect her thoughts. She swallowed before sitting down next to him and pat Carmy’s shoulder as she began to explain her point of view on the situation, “You fucked up, Carmen. But you love Y/N and Mia- just go. Go home. I’ll cover tonight. Go talk to your wife.”

Carmy took Syd’s suggestion. He wasn’t sure if you’d let him in or even talk to him, but he knew he should at least try.

“I don’t know Natalie. I just… I mean- I’m gonna sound like a dumb bitch, but maybe I could?” you groaned into your phone as Natalie was about to answer the doorbell rung. “Hey Nat, can I call you back in a bit? Someone’s here.” you waited for her passive agreement and hung up. You put your phone in your back pocket and went to the front door. You felt your stomach flip when you opened the door to reveal Carmy standing in your doorway. He was an unshaven mess, with messy curls and dark circles under his eyes. “Carmen? What are you doing here?” you questioned, bracing the door, hoping it would prevent him from entering your once-shared house. “You’re divorcing me?” he asked on the brink of tears. You sighed, “I asked Tiffany for her lawyer's information- that’s all.”

“Y/N, you can’t leave me without giving me a chance to make things right.” Carmy pleaded. You sucked your teeth, “Carmen, I really don’t want to talk about this right now… Mia’s asleep, but you can come in and say goodnight if you want.” you offered as you pulled your sleeves over your hands. Carmy nodded furiously, “I-I, ye-yes, please.”

Carmy stared down at Mia’s sleeping body. She was splayed across her crib in a green onesie with a pacifier to match. Carmy swallowed as he watched her legs twitch. “She doesn’t like sleep sacks anymore?” he asked softly. You nodded before answering, “She decided it was her own personal hell a couple weeks ago, so now she’s a big girl.”

Carmy laughed softly and put his hand on Mia’s cheek. She squirmed and leaned into his hand, “I love you, princess.”

You walked Carmy out of the nursery and into the hallway by the front door, “Can we talk?” Carmy asked, trying not to burst into tears and lock himself in the nursery. You nodded, “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”

Carmy swallowed. “I know you hate me, but I need to see Mia.” He took a quick breath before continuing, “Y/N, please don’t keep my daughter from me. I’ll give you whatever you want. I just need to see my daughter.” Carmy sniffled as he wiped his eyes.

Guilt. When you saw the hurt on his face, you knew what you had to do. “Next time I need someone to watch her, I’ll call you.” you offered, Carmy grinned and thanked you before starring at you with the same love and admiration he always had. He turned to walk back to his car but stopped in the middle of the yard, “I love you. I’m gonna win you back.” he pushed a hand through his hair before shoving them in his jacket pockets. You rolled your eyes, “Bye Carmen. Drive safe.”

The flu hit your office like a semi-truck. Everyone got sick, including you, and taking care of a sick baby proved more complicated than you’d thought. No one could help you, so reluctantly, you called Carmy to come be with Mia that night. He was over the moon but tried to play it cool, you saw it through immediately. It was sweet in a cheesy, trying too hard kind of way.

“Hey baby, I brought you pastina soup and Tylenol.” he grinned, handing you a paper bag, “Thank you, Carmen.” you were short with him. Carmy noticed but chopped it up to you being sick, “I can make you some tea.” he offered as you walked back to your bedroom. “I’m fine, Carmen. Please just watch Mia,” you said over your shoulder before closing the bedroom door behind you. You wanted to be mad at him, but it was hard when he was so thoughtful… and handsome. He cleaned himself up since the last time you saw him.

Carmy sat back on the couch, making funny faces at Mia. She squealed and grabbed the air in Carmy’s direction. “I missed you so much, princess.” he laughed as he brought her up to his chest; he rubbed her back as she tried to hug him. “Okay, let's check on Mommy and then make some dinner. Daddy missed his favorite sous.” Carmy explained as he got up. The two walked down the hallway, Mia babbling away as Carmy adjusted her in his arms. He bumped the bedroom door open with his hip and saw you peacefully sleeping. He stepped into the bedroom and grabbed the trash from your side table. Mia grumbled as the two of you exited the room; Carmy chuckled and kissed her temple. “I know, princess. I wanna snuggle with Mommy too, but she doesn’t feel well… and hates me, but we’ll figure it out.”

You abruptly woke up around midnight when you heard talking through the baby monitor. You stumbled out of your bedroom and across the hall to the nursery; the door was askew, and as you approached it, you more clearly heard Carmy’s voice. He was laying on the floor next to Mia’s crib, “My little Mia… I wish you could stay this little forever.” he whispered as he put his hand up to the crib gate. The sight alone made your heart yearn for your family to be back together. You knew what you had to do.

“And that princess is how you make scrambled eggs, the right way.” you laughed when you overheard Carmy’s cooking lesson. You walked into the kitchen and saw Carmy plating up scrambled eggs, “Hey.” you greeted as you got a mug from the cabinet. Carmy grinned in your direction, “Mornin’ baby. Feelin’ better?”

“Feelin’ waaaaaaay better,” you started, “Thanks for coming over to take care of her. I really appreciate it.”. Carmy leaned against the counter, “I’m her Dad- it’s my job.”

“You’re a good one… I don’t know where you’ve been staying, but if you want, I uh- I made up the guest room if you want to come home…” you explained, “I feel like I’ve been keeping Mia from you, and that’s fucked up.” you rocked on your heels hoping Carmy wouldn’t assume this offer meant you wanted to get back together. He nodded immediately, “I would love that.” Carmy was giddy at the idea of getting to be with Mia every day again- it also gave him an opportunity to win you back.

It had only been a few days since Carmy had been back home, and he jumped right back into the daily hustle and went above and beyond what he usually did. Carmy changed his schedule and managed to do a lot of his restaurant owner duties at home so that he could be with Mia more. The house was clean, the pantry was stocked with all your favorite snacks, home-cooked meals, and a very happy baby, and it drove you crazy.

“I just- this man is driving me insane.” you ranted as you sipped your margarita. It was girls’ night out with Syd and Natalie. You were two margaritas in and deep in your feelings. “I should just forgive-” you were cut off by Natalie exclaiming, “NO! You can’t just forgive him, Y/N. He’s a fuckin’ idiot for even thinking about being with another woman. It makes all his ‘you make me a better man’ vows bullshit. Our Dad used to do the same shit to Donna all the time- and she just accepted it! Then he left her. I don’t want Carmy to do the same to you- he already fuckin’ started doing it.”

You were taken aback by Natalie’s ranting and raving; you’d known that Carmy had a difficult relationship with his Dad, but you hadn’t known the full extent. You looked at Syd, wanting her to weigh in on the situation, “Carmy’s an asshole, but he’s your asshole. He loves you. He loves Mia. I don’t know if he’ll do it again - if my partner pulled something like this on me, I think I’d hear them out.”

It was almost 10 when Carmy had finally managed to get Mia to fall asleep. He was exhausted after a long day, but when he’d gone into your bedroom to get the baby monitor, he couldn’t help but notice a satin black thong sitting on the top of the laundry hamper. He stared at the underwear for a moment before shaking his head. He wasn’t going to take his wife’s dirty underwear. Carmy walked toward the door before pausing and going back to the hamper. “I guess I am that guy,” he scoffed, grabbing the panties and putting them in the pocket of his sweatpants.

Carmy lay in bed leaning against a pile of pillows, scrolling through the private folder on his photo app. “There it is…” he mumbled as he tapped the video before putting his headphones in. “You promise no one else will see this, right?” your voice flooded Carmy’s ears as he pushed his sweats off. “Of course not, baby.” he reassured you as your hands reached for his zipper. He watched as you bit your lip and unzipped his pants. Carmy groaned as he watched you give him a blow job. Carmy took the underwear he’d stolen from your bedroom and started stroking himself. The sensation reminded him of when he’d tease you before relentlessly fucking you into a crying mess.

“Oh fuck-” Carmy exhaled as he felt his orgasm approaching. He swiped to the next video of riding him. Carmy salivated at the sight of your bouncing tits. You were moaning his name as your movements got more frantic, “Cream all over my fuckin’ cock, baby.”

“That was a fun night,” you said startling Carmy, he dropped his phone before quickly covering himself with a blanket as you stood in the doorway. You giggled at his reaction, you were just going to ask how Mia was before going to bed but catching Carmy masturbating with your underwear… blame it on the alcohol but you wanted a taste.

“I uh- I didn’t hear you- hear you come inside.” Carmy stumbled over his words as you fully entered the guest room. “No need for you to be embarrassed, Carmy…” he watched with wide eyes as you moved around the bed to sit next to him on the bed. You sighed and pushed the blanket off his lap to expose him.

You pushed your hand up Carmy’s thigh, making him swallow hard. “What made you so hard, baby? Were you being a little perv… jacking off with my dirty panties… watching a video of me sucking your cock?” you mewled as you ran your fingers along his thigh. Carmy nodded as he stared into your eyes. You giggled and grasped the base of his length. He croaked as you started to stroke him, “You like that baby?” you asked cocking your head to the side, staring up at him. He nodded as he let his head fall back against the headboard.

Carmy whimpered as you ran your tongue along the bottom of his cock. You swirled your tongue around his leaking tip, making him swear under his breath. As you took more of him in your mouth, his whimpers turned to whiny moans. You pulled away with a pop. Carmy stared down at you, watching a string of saliva connect your lips to the head of his cock. “Does that feel nice, baby?” you asked as you returned to pumping your hand around him. “So-so nice,” he replied, touching your cheek. You smiled as you pushed it away.

“But, why should I suck your cock if you’re gonna let just any woman off the street suck it?” you asked. Carmy shook his head, “Only-only you, baby-y.” he shuddered.

“Only me? Tell me, Carmen, who does this cock belong to?” he was putty in your hands as you slowed your pace. “You, baby, only you.” he groaned, “Prove it.” you challenged.

Carmy buried his face in the crook of your neck as he slowly pressed into your entrance as you lamented at the familiar sensation. You held onto Carmy’s shoulders as he started thrusting his hips in a steady rhythm, “Hmm, Carmy…” you hummed as he hungrily kissed your neck.

“I don’t deserve you baby…”

Tag List @namjoons-crabssss @sl-ut @thottae @cuddlehye @prurose @1184p @chaoticfanficfanx @ok-boke @literatureluster @bxtchopolis @americanprometheuss @buckystwilight @earth-elemental18 @thebearlily @siren-melodies @thel0v3hashira143 @innercreationflower @unpoqu1todetodo @thehouseofevangelista @pizzaspirits @aleemendoza2425-blog @visualbutterflysworld

364 notes · View notes

chefkids · 7 months

Text

Spoon Theory

This is arguably the single most important The Bear meta post I will ever make so please bear with me.

The first spoon we see in the entire series is when Carmy takes Sydney's spoon to try her stew. This is right after he cut his hand from not being able to find his sharp knife, and before he has to meet with Natalie to get Mikey's jacket, which was stressing him out. She "gave him a spoon" and a bit of positivity when he needed to calm down and get some energy by knowing at the very least Sydney can cook well.

Needing a spoon is needing help. When he hands over the brigade to Sydney he is waving around spoons the entire episode, when she really needed his help and his "spoons". Later on Sydney is not afraid to just ask him for his help.

With the risotto she gave him a "spoon" that would help the restaurant, that brought in a good review and customers, but he didn't have enough of his own "spoons" to deal with it as he was stressing out over the window that just got shot through and the IRS needing the missing tax returns. Right before trying the risotto Carmy had told Richie he is afraid of something good happening. He is afraid of Sydney and him doing well, because the better it gets the more it will hurt him when something goes wrong. That is why he keeps self sabotaging the restaurant and doubting Sydney.

After Sydney quit, she is still using her spoons for mental energy to make sure Marcus is okay and to try and figure out her next steps career wise. Carmy grabbed a spoon to open the tomato can lid, which he really didn't need because he could've just used the can opener, and then found the money. When he finds the money they both know they would be fine on their own, she could find another job, he could fix up The Beef. But they still need each others emotional spoons to achieve their passions, so he reaches out and she comes back.

In Season 2 she did need his "spoons" to help create the menu and decide on the details for the restaurant, but he barely gave her any because he was still so caught up in his past trauma and the literal and metaphorical forks in his life.

Fixing the table really didn't physically need more than one "spoon"/person. But he needed her there to work through his mental block. With the inspiration food tour, she did it on her own and she didn't physically need him for it, she needed his emotional spoons.

When they are not communicating well with each other and Carmy is trying to reach back and be involved again, he gets as close as he can to her spoon without actually using it.

And now the dark side of spoons.

The originator of spoon theory has lupus and first came up with this theory at a restaurant to explain what it was like living with the condition to a friend. They could've easily said Sydney's mom died of cancer or an accident or anything else. But this is all so intentional, out of all the things it is Lupus. I don't want Sydney to be sick as much as the next person, but Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that has higher likelihood of developing when you have a family member with it, and can be triggered by environmental factors such as stress. It is an invisible illness and Christine's own handle is butyoudontlooksick, which could really explain Sydney and what she has going on behind her walls that people can't see. She has been a rock to so many people and over exerting herself, but there might come a time soon when Sydney will genuinely need other peoples "spoons", especially Carmy's, because she's all out.

Now that Carmy said he is choosing to give Syd his focus aka his "spoons", will he actually be able to follow through?

Read The Fork Theory next

Read The Knife Theory

#spoon theory #the bear meta #the bear #sydcarmy #sydney adamu #carmen berzatto #chefs kiss #syd x carmy #platonic and messy #charged and sexy #carmy x sydney #christopher storer #joanna calo

341 notes · View notes

playbucky · 7 months

Text

Boundaries

You have always been a family friend of the Berzatto’s, through thick and thin but ultimately, you’ll reach your breaking point. Word Count – 2.3k. Characters – Reader, Carm, Syd, Richie, Fak and Claire.

‘What’s your problem Syd?’ Carm asked, she lifted her head and got ready to turn. ‘You.’ You cut in, everyone turned and looked at you. Surprised that you spoke out in front of everyone ‘What?’ His head whipped to you. ‘You heard me.’ You lowered the hammer you were working with, so you weren’t tempted to use it. ‘Y/N.’ He said lowly, a warning. ‘Do you want me to go into detail?’ You quizzed, he tilted his head. ‘Please.’ ‘Two months ago you were all about this place, let’s make it bigger, go to uncle and get more money to give this place a facelift.’ You started, his intense eyes looked at you, ‘Suddenly you’re spending all your time with Claire, at parties, parties? Which you refused to come to my twenty first because you didn’t like it.’ You pointed out to him, Richie watched the pair of you amused, knowing you were going to kick him in the balls. ‘So, what do you what me to do?’ Carm questioned, you raised an eyebrow. ‘Pull more weight here.’ You gestured your hands to the open space, the familiar kitchen and front of shop no longer existed. ‘I am.’ He said as he stepped closer to you, you scoffed at his attempt to try and intimidate you. ‘Carm you left at lunch time it’s now almost midnight.’ You pointed out, the clock still positioned on the wall backed you up. ‘It sounds like you want me to stop dating Claire.’ He accused you, your jaw bounced. ‘Did I say that?’ You asked, you stepped closer so your chests were almost touching. ‘I think you’re jealous of what we have.’ He added, you scoffed. ‘Yeah Carm, I’m jealous you’ve got girl.’ ‘Y/N.’ ‘Pull your shit together Carm, help out more or -,’ You trailed off, you didn’t want to speak it out loud. ‘Or what?’ He questioned, head cocked to the side. ‘I quit.’ You lifted your hands up. ‘Go ahead, not like your part of this family anyway.’ He replied, everyone fell silent, no one tried to interrupt, all anger dropped from your face as you watched him. ‘Go fuck yourself Carmen.’ You scalded him. Everyone remained silent as you marched over to the small area unaffected by dust, everyone’s jackets and bags were piled there. Quickly you untied your apron and rolled it around your wrist. ‘Cou -,’ Richie started, everyone watched as he ran his hands through his hair before he yanked it. ‘Shit, I know.’ ‘Y/N.’ He called as he turned to you, you ignored him and continued to stuff your apron into your bag. ‘Y/N.’ You turned to him just as he reached out to cup your elbow ‘Touch me Carm and swear to God you won’t work for a week.’ You spat, he held up his hands, his blue eyes wide with worry and regret watched as you grabbed your jacket. ‘I’m sorry.’ He said, you stopped, his eyes brightened thinking he had won you over. ‘I’m surprised you know that word.’ You said before you pushed the door open.

‘Y/N.’ ‘Carmen.’ You said, neither of backed down until his eyes flicked away. ‘I made a mistake.’ Carm said, you raised an eyebrow. ‘So, it does work.’ You commented, you still hadn’t moved away from the door. ‘What?’ He asked. ‘Your brain.’ You replied, the corner of his lips jumped. ‘I didn’t realise how much it was affecting us, affecting you.’ He pointed out, you shook your head. ‘Wasn’t affecting me Carm, understand that, I’m used to the bullshit that follows the Berzatto family but the partners aren’t.’ ‘You came in and flipped everything up and then you and Syd, god Carm, you’ve left her in charge of everything then come back and say no to everything she’s knocked off.’ You reminded him of what he had done. ‘I know, I know.’ He breathed out, he continued to rubbed his fingers around his wrist. ‘Do you? Or are you trying to make me forgive you?’ ‘I need you back at the restaurant.’ He stated, you pursed your lips and nodded. ‘No.’ ‘No?’ ‘Unless I hear from Syd that you’ve apologised to her and are helping her for at least a week I won’t be in.’ You told him, shoulders dropped as his eyes darted across your face. ‘Y/N.’ ‘Carm, I’m setting boundaries.’ You said, ‘something you should be doing.’ ‘So, I’ve to apologise for having a girlfriend?’ He asked, you inhaled. ‘No, you know what,’ you held a hand up as you stopped your thoughts, ‘you think I’m pissed or jealous that you have someone but I’m not, you’ve been in love with her forever and I’m glad your together but please don’t focus on her and no one else.’ ‘I’m not.’ He replied quickly. ‘Carm, you’ve found someone you love, that’s good,’ you reached a hand out and held onto his forearm, ‘But don’t have a fun time with her whilst the bridges you’ve built burn.’ ‘And Carm, it needs to come out your mouth, not your gesture. Okay?’ You asked. ‘Okay.’ He nodded and you gave him a small smile before you shut the door, he listened as you slid the lock back over. ‘You fixed it cous?’ Richie quizzed when Carm dropped back into the passenger seat. ‘Yeah.’ He said, he ran his hands through his hair before he dropped his head back. ‘You don’t sound sure.’ ‘I’ve to apologise to Syd.’ He said, Richie’s eyes widened. ‘Oh shit.’ ‘At least it’s not gonna be hard, I mean, I apologised to Y/N, right?’ Carmen asked, Richie nodded his head slowly. ‘Only cause you’ve known her your whole life.’ Richie told him. ‘Richie.’ Carm said, Richie shook his head. ‘Nah come on, attached at the hip, that’s all I remember is if one of you was someone where the other would be to.’ He said, the visions of the pair of them running wild. ‘Everyone was surprised that nothing happened between you.’ He added, Carm’s head snapped around to him. ‘What?’ ‘Come on man.’ Richie twisted in the seat to look at him, ‘you were both smitten on each other, think you still are but your both too pussy to say anything or you’re just accepting it now, dunno.’ He replied as he shrugged and started the car.

‘Y/N!’ Fak almost screamed, your brows raised as the door shut behind you, keeping the frozen Chicago air out. ‘You’re back.’ He said, he walked over and wrapped his arms around you, he tightly squeezed as he chuckled. Richie appeared next, he smiled at you as you took in the black suit that was tailored to him, you raised an eyebrow at him. ‘You’re all acting like I’ve been gone for months.’ You stated, they nodded almost in sync. ‘Feels like it.’ Fak commented, you patted him on the back. ‘So, he grew balls huh?’ Richie asked, you raised a shoulder. ‘For now.’ ‘He’s in the back.’ Richie said, you nodded. ‘Thanks, you look good.’ You said, the black suit did wonders for him, he smiled widely and stood taller. He was confident in it. ‘I know I do baby.’ He commented, you smiled at saluted at him before entered to the back. Syd, Tina and Marcus all lifted their heads, smiles took over their faces as you gave them a wave. You walked into the small locker area and placed your bag and jackets into one of them. You pulled the apron on, the wraps tight around your waist as you walked back out, you took in the new starts that were furiously chopping vegetables. ‘You’re back chef.’ Tina said, you nodded. ‘I am.’ You replied. ‘Where do you need me?’ You asked as you turned to Syd. ‘We’re all good for now, maybe go see chef?’ Syd slyly replied, you narrowed your eyes at her. ‘Did he completely apologise? Not just rubbing his chest?’ You quizzed, she nodded. ‘Yeah, last night before we left.’ Syd told you, you rubbed your lips together as you nodded. ‘Good.’ ‘Carm.’ You knocked your knuckles against the door. ‘You’re back.’ He seemed surprised, you leaned against the door frame. ‘You apologised, I tend to stick to my words.’ You commented, he nodded. ‘Know you do but it seemed like I pissed you off too much.’ He stated, you raised a shoulder. ‘Used to it.’ ‘You shouldn’t have to be though, you’ve put up with it all your life.’ He said, you narrowed your eyes at him as you looked down at him. ‘Hate to break it to you Carmy but it comes with the Berzatto’s.’ You reminded him. ‘Thank you.’ ‘For what?’ You asked, an eyebrow raised. ‘Putting up with my shit.’ He replied, you dipped your head. ‘I heard you were back but had to see for myself.’ Sugar said, you smiled and turned to her, your eyes widened. ‘Shit Sugar, you’ve popped over the week.’ You took in the bump that was poking out from the cardigan that she wore. ‘Oh, I know.’ Sugar ran her hands over her bump.

‘Get in here and sit, Carm move.’ You commanded, you placed a hand on Nat’s lower back and guided her over as Carm stepped to the side. ‘You should be off your feet.’ ‘Kinda busy.’ She said, both eyebrows raised. ‘I can see but you’re meant to be bossing them around, you know that right?’ You asked her, she glared at you. ‘I’m fine.’ She said, it must’ve been comically to her as both you and Carm’s brows shot up together. ‘Okay, I’m not but it’s nothing unusual.’ She corrected herself. ‘Nat you’re growing a baby, a fucking creation of life.’ Your hands motioned to her belly. ‘Stop swearing.’ ‘Oh, I’m sorry, want me to sing Mozart to them?’ You asked, she glared at you as her hand rubbed over her stomach. ‘You’ve been hanging out with the boys too much.’ She commented, her eyes darted to Carmen. ‘You ate anything?’ You quizzed, ignoring her statement. ‘No yet.’ ‘I’ll make you something and then you can give me a rundown of what needs to be completed.’ You told her, she nodded. ‘What you feeling?’ You quizzed, her brows furrowed then her face lit up. ‘An omelette, been craving it since Syd made me one?’ ‘That I can do.’ ‘You’re avoiding me still.’ He commented, he stood close to you as you gathered the ingredients you needed. ‘Carm, no I’m not, I’m getting Sugar food and then I’m gonna start on prep, the way it was before.’ You told him. ‘I don’t want it the way it was before.’ He breathed out. ‘What?’ You quizzed. ‘I- can we speak after?’ He asked, you stopped and looked at him. ‘Yeah?’ You said, he nodded and held eye contact before he nodded again and walked away. You turned back got the stove and got to work.

‘You wanted to speak.’ You appeared next to him. ‘I’m sorry.’ He apologised again. ‘You’ve said.’ You told him, your arms crossed over your chest. ‘No, I’m sorry, I’ve been a dickhead to you almost our entire friendship and always put you way down at the bottom of the list of my priorities.’ He gave you a reason this time. ‘Not holding it against you Carm.’ ‘But you should.’ ‘You’ve loved me for the entire time I’ve known you, yet you’ve allowed me to fuck around.’ He commented, you closed your eyes briefly. ‘You realised.’ You sounded surprised. ‘Richie pointed it out.’ He said, you raised both eyebrows and sighed. ‘Carm,’ you exhaled, he looked at you, ‘I might have loved you, I know you wouldn’t return it, I got used to it and don’t expect anything back.’ You informed him ‘But I should’ve loved you.’ He said, you shook your head and dropped to his level so he would make eye contact with you, his chest started to quicken. ‘No, you shouldn’t.’ You told him, ‘Your heart wasn’t open to be mine and it won’t be, I realised that a long time ago.’ ‘But you showed me you loved me in thousands of ways but -,’ you inhaled, your hands reached up to his warm cheeks, ‘maybe in thousands of other universes we’re together, but not this one.’ ‘Y/N.’ ‘You’ve got Claire, she makes you happy, that’s all that matters.’ You informed him. ‘I don’t th-,’ He started but you shook your head. ‘You haven’t loved me and that’s fine, go give your love to her.’ You cut him off. ‘But you.’ He added, you smiled softly and tapped your fingers against the back of his neck. ‘I’ll be fine, I’ll eventually find someone.’ You told him, he continued to stare at you. ‘But we gotta go, pretty sure Claire’s waiting for you and I need me beauty sleep before tomorrow.’ You dropped your hands from his face, he continued to watch you fixed the white t-shirt. ‘Y/N.’ Claire said, you held the door for Carm to step out and lock the door. ‘Claire, nice to see you again.’ You smiled at her, she looked at Carm as he walked over to her side, an arm slipped around his waist. ‘You wanting to join us? We’re going to a small bar, found it earlier in the week.’ She offered, you gave a tight smile as your gaze bounced between the two. ‘Oh no thank you, my bed’s calling me tonight,’ you joked, ‘maybe some other time?’ You asked, she nodded and smiled enthusiastically whilst Carm only nodded. ‘I’ll see you in the morning Carm.’ You told him as you lifted your bag and walked away before he could reply. Claire watched Carm as he watched on you walk away, he only turned to her when you veered around the corner. Claire gave him a smile before she looked back to where you disappeared, then she looked at his eyes, she could see the worry. ‘You ready to go?’ Carm asked, she smiled at him and nodded.

#Carmen berzatto x reader #Reader x carmen berzatto #Carmen berzatto #carmen berzatto imagines #the bear x reader #reader x the bear #the bear imagines #the bear

150 notes · View notes

cosmic-light-fics · 10 months

Note

I just watched the last episode of season 1. And I can’t help but wonder why does Carmy text Syd BEFORE opening the letter Michael left to him ?????

Hello! Sorry it's taken me a while to answer this, I wanted to give you my thorough interpretation of why Carmy texted Sydney first.

It's one of the biggest head scratchers of the season, and I'm not entirely sure my response will cover the entire scope as to why Carmy delayed opening Mikey's letter to him in order to text Sydney. For me, a sizeable part of the answer lies in the way Carmy dealt with his personal problems throughout the whole season.

He's been rightfully called out as avoidant when it comes to addressing other people's emotions, even his own. In the beginning of the season, it is stressed that he is avoiding his sister Natalie who has been trying to reach him ever since he took over The Beef. He won't stop working to acknowledge the feelings he has of losing his brother, but he's trying to be open to it. That's why he winds up going to the Al-Anon meetings. At first, he doesn't speak. He's only at the meetings to listen. But towards the end of the season, when he finally has his big speech, we see Carmy finally ready to talk about Mikey.

Now, how does this relate back to Sydney? I think the glaring thing about their connection is that he is always honest and open with her. Whenever he is upset, he tells her why. Whenever she's upset, Carmy tries to understand why. He always apologizes to her after a dispute and asks if they are okay, if she's okay. I think she's the only person at the restaurant that Carmy's felt comfortable enough to tell about his Al-Anon meetings. There is an implicit trust and respect Carmy has with Sydney (something that steadily grew over the course of the season), and that type of trust bypasses his avoidant tendencies, but not completely.

When he reaches his boiling point in episode 7 and lashes out at Sydney, I think he was too consumed with the to-go disaster to fully grasp what he'd done to drive her away. Sydney put up with a lot of shit that whole season, but the thing that completely pushed her over the edge was Carmy's behavior. And he knew that. But there is some time that passes from Sydney quitting to him finally texting her. In that little pocket of time is his avoidance. This is the first time in the whole season where Carmy doesn't apologize to Sydney in the same day. He avoids contacting her right up until the moment he is about the open Mikey's letter. Even when Tina asks what time Syd would be coming to work, Carmy avoids telling her that Sydney quit, almost like he doesn't want to acknowledge that truth.

Carmy finding Sydney's notebook before Richie gives him Mikey's letter is the catalyst that breaks his avoidance. The truth is plain in his eyes as he looks down at her braised ribs and risotto recipe. He deeply, deeply cares for her as a person and highly respects her as a chef. And I believe undoubtedly that being confronted with something so personal of hers was the wake up call for him to own to his awful behavior.

So when it gets to the scene where we are all expecting Carmy to open Mikey's letter and he doesn't, instead choosing to text Sydney, I believe that the moment shows how the connection he has with Sydney bypasses his avoidant tendencies. He's scared and not forthright with her at the beginning of his texts ("No acid") because he is still not sure how to be completely open, but texting her is the biggest step of him reaching out first to someone he really cares about.

Also, I must add that narratively speaking Carmy already atoned with Mikey at the beginning of the episode in his Al-Anon speech. If he'd had the letter before the speech, I don't think he would have texted Sydney first. And it's hinted throughout the last episode that Sydney was heavily on his mind (ex: a clip of him yelling at her when he's having his panic attack, "you're dressed like Syd," and him staring into her little notebook like it was her soul).

I hope this long ass post makes a little bit of sense. I'm not that great at putting all my jumbled thoughts together cohesively. The biggest thing I wanted to impress upon in this answer to your question was Carmy avoiding the people he cares about, avoiding the emotions that come with being open, and how Sydney is the one person he can't seem to hide from. He always wants to be open with her, he doesn't want to avoid her, even if that means getting out of his own way.

#i could go on about this for hours #thank you for the question tho I really enjoyed finding the thread of my answer #the bear fx #carmy berzatto #sydney adamu #the bear #the bear spoilers #the bear hulu #carmy x sydney #carmen berzatto #sydcarmy #mikey the bear #sugar berzatto #natalie berzatto #richie jerimovich #tina the bear

124 notes · View notes

heardchef · 10 months

Note

Hi! I can't watch the bear for quite a while, but I saw your post about sydcarmy shippers being played and for the sake of my sanity can you say what happened there? Under spoiler ofc, i don't wanna spoil the fun for all the other folks.

yeah!

carmy starts dating a lady named claire who's his childhood friend. his attention, which is already being channeled by many different things gets further divided between claire and syd, and by extension the restaurant.

syd basically says, dude you need to choose. it's similar to what happened in s1e3, where sydney is taking the brunt of the responsibility with the restaurant and carmy isn't there to help offset the workload.

carmy and syd have a little back and forth and ultimately apologize and move on, and things are relatively chill until the final episode. in e10, the beef opens for its first service. it's friends and family night so a bunch of different people are there, including claire. things start out fine but quickly unravel, but this time the crew is strong enough to get back on track... with richie and syd leading the charge because carmy is locked in the walk in 'cause the handle fell off.

carmy has a panic attack in the freezer, partly because he has no idea how service is going, partly because he mistakes a guest for chef joel and that sends him fucking spiraling, and a million other things.

claire is wondering where the fuck carmy is and ends up in the kitchen. tina has been talking with carmy to try and keep him calm, but she steps away and claire takes her place unbeknownst to carmy.

he says the night being ruined is all his fault and he should have never gotten distracted (by claire) and he doesn't have the capacity for fun or love in him. claire says I'm sorry you feel that way and leaves, and carmy realizes he made a big fucking mistake.

he listens to a voice message claire left and it's her telling him how she always had a massive crush on him as a locksmith (?) busts open the walk-in.

that's their relationship. there's other stuff too, but i feel like this is already long and ive been up for like a day, so I'm struggling to be make sense lol.

i think there's still a chance for carmy and syd. i think carmy's relationship with claire was carmy diving in the deep end and intentionally seeking out joy and love, and trying to see how that would fit into his life, and backpedaling like a mf when the one thing he knows in and out starts to crumble.

i hope this makes sense lol

#the bear #the bear fx #the bear s2 #the bear season 2 #the bear spoilers #ask

61 notes · View notes

hourglassfish · 8 months

Text

On Season 1, Episode 7 : Part Two : I Know You’ll Be Listening: Marcus, McDonalds and Freedom

Gonna talk about my fave episode! Sheridan. It’s got some of my favourite music in it – and there’s a catching of breath after lots and lots of change, which gives you time to see characters relax, and have them show you who they are when not in a crisis, to hear them reflect a little, and to get sense of who they might want to be, and where they’ve come from.

It also develops the triangle of Marcus / Sydney / Carmy. Now when I say triangle here, I’m not talking about a love corner! This is a sydcarmy safe space, but I am interested in their work dynamics! Some of the most beautiful moments of the entire season happen when these three are in flow together, and they are united by food as artistic expression.

They are unique in this. Tina is more skill focused and analytic – Science Baby! – she likes upskilling, her game improving, doing things the right way. Sweeps is about his money, when they budget for the restaurant he immediately backs Tina up about their pay ‘she’s right about that Jefferson’, and he sits with Nat and Richie post apology, doubling down on the fact the restaurant needs to work, that all the workers are invested in that. Ebra’s relationship with food is a tangible connection to home – he cooks Suqaar, his memories of Somalia are never far from his dialogue. It roots him in two places at the same time, a delicate dance that all immigrants are constantly learning, re learning and revising the steps to. Richie’s relationship with food is concerned with people, place and tradition – beef has been cooked here like this since before you were born, people loved the spaghetti and you can’t get the recipe, a very clear sense of hot dogs NOT coming with ketchup (which is very Chicago, if I recall correctly).

But for these three? It’s a practice of freedom. At it's best, that's what creative expression is, it's freedom, and its why we fight for it so very hard. Let's get into it.

The episode starts with the building literally falling down around their ears – gas, electricity, plumbing – it’s all out. Look at Syd and Marcus's faces when the toilet blows up, I love it when these two react to something together -

Even within that, we see pops of joy for all of them – Marcus enthusiastically enthusing about his book, Sydney gently pitching a new dish, Carmy teaching – tape, roasted onions, his mom’s chicken.

When the fuse blows, Carmy is in the middle of dealing with the ghosts of the Beef – drug deals and the spectre of financial ruin, Covid and his own absence, addiction and Michael, Michael, Michael. Marcus is frantically trying to catch up with work, having gotten a little lost in his donuts (Carmy warns him about this repeatedly, he’s permissive, but he can see it’s becoming a problem). Sydney is my perfect daughter who never does anything wrong (HAH) so she is innocuously cooking a risotto which will lead to big problems later.

But it dictates where they all go in this next episode – Carmy is back enmeshed with his family, and in problem solving mode, so off he goes to Nat’s with Richie to be called a soft shitty bitch (😭 he does get a hug for going Al anon though). Marcus messes up, sulks a little, then is pulled back in (he’s deeply sensitive, and as we learn from season 2 and all he is carrying with his mum, vulnerable. He’s maybe the youngest team member?). But Sydney stays in her flow state, and it enhances her work, opens her creativity, and keeps her focused.

Sheridan clearly meant so much to her. She lost everything, and still lives surrounded by the boxes of it. One of the most poignant moments of her season comes when she stokes the fire for their makeshift post-gas, post-electricity BBQ and for a moment flashes back to some gorgeous prawns, cooking on a similar fire. She looks like she’s about to cry. When she serves food to people who she can see eat and enjoy it later that episode, we see her biggest grin – we won’t see her grin that big again until Sugar calls her a genius in Omelette. So much of being a line cook is being in a kitchen, alienated from your labour separated from the joy that what you’recooking brings to those who are eating it. The praise and enjoyment of what she’s created is a big motivator for her, as it would be for anyone, and this goes someway to explaining why she doesn’t want a dish she thinks is delicious (should have given Carm the one with the ribbon of brine babes) to not be eaten by someone.

If we hop back across to Marcus in this episode, we get some of Carmy being an excellent boss (that’s my boy!!!) – his conversation with Marcus (who appears to just be moping outside while the others work… young man get it together) is really beautiful. He’s curious. Not only does he ask him how he is, he really listens when Marcus talks about McDonalds, gets down on his level, does his very intense staring thing: he wants to understand where Marcus is coming from. He resists narratives of blame and fault – the job’s insane and fuck ups happen. But he is also clear about the bottom line (you gotta stay ahead of your work, that’s just that). He doubles down on the moment of empathy and connection by sharing a story of his own failures after a huge success. Marcus goes back to work with a huge grin on his face. For me, it’s as beautiful and important a conversation as the talk between Syd and Carmy in Brigade, another affirmation that The Beef can be different from all the other places they’ve been at.

This episode has a really beautiful symmetry to its narrative structure, so we later return to the three of them in the kitchen – Marcus quietly labelling up his eggs, with the neat lines Carmy favours (Wilco sings ‘I know you’ll be listening’), and Carmy and Syd cooking together (that prawn stock business looked wild delicious) and really talking and listening.

I used to work at a purveyor of moderately priced soaps. And the soaps are quite hippyish, but their business model is not, and it always felt like a contradiction, until I met their owners, who spoke about their business going bust in the 90s. They’re a huge global brand now, but losing that small, postal based service was clearly something that they carried with them, decades later. It is, like any grief, something that informs many of their decisions, for better or worse, especially because they parted ways with another brand where they felt stifled, to set up their own thing, centring their values. I think about them a lot when I think about Syd, and my own business.

It is not lost on me that Syd talks here about money – getting too big too fast, fucked credit, bad decisions. The bad credit especially sticks with me, because that shit traps you. Makes renting, or making significant purchases hard, makes starting another business impossible – a bunch of doors shut and they don’t reopen for years, and you are reminded of it constantly. It puts all her creativity in a box – the same way that the mechanical efficiency of Mc Donald’s inhibits what we are to learn is a prodigious talent in Marcus, out of sight. That failure is always there for her, and I think it’s why she is so quick to look at where the Bear is haemorrhaging money and want to find solutions. There is a chance here. She grabs it. She will give all her learning in exchange for that outlet.

PAUSE

The moment when Syd says ‘it was the first time I didn’t have a complete and utter psychopath behind me screaming and pushing and yelling’ and then they cut to Carm stood behind her is SO MEAN, it makes me CHORTLE every time, girl he’s RIGHT THERE! I know they were laughing in the edit when they put this bit together.

When she speaks about her failure, his response is ‘Heard’ – I don’t think he really knows how to respond – like… has Carmy ever failed? Syd’s face does a weird little thing when he says that. Heard. Listened? Does he really get the depth of loss for her? Has he ever experienced that kind of freedom in a kitchen? Cus if he hasn’t maybe he can’t really understand what it is to lose it. Maybe you can’t know that loss util you experience it. Carmy always knew The Beef was there. Was always trying to get back to it, had it as a north star. But Sydney built her own and then lost it, and it was her own fault*.

That being said, she does still ask him for help in this scene. It’s a clear progression in her letting her walls down after the veal stock fiasco of Brigade. Wilco comes in again –

This is what love is for To be out of place Gorgeous and alone Face to face With no larger problems That need to be erased Nothing more important Than to know someone's listening Now, I know you'll be listening

– these three have connected here, and are starting to build the bonds that are going to send Marcus on Carmy’s pilgrimage to Copenhagen. The Michael starts in this quiet moment.

But listening - hearing, retaining, actioning, bearing it all in mind - is the centre of this bond, and it fractures quickly when they stop doing that. They're still getting to know each other. Relationships in their infancy.

I think these moments – this episode – are important when we think about what happens in Episode 7, who quits and why. Not only are these the two newest recruits to the Bear, they’re also the two with the least connection to Michael, and emotional relationships with Carmy that are not haunted by his ghost. They’ve been Carmy’s quickest and most loyal supporters up until this point, and there is a clear sense of betrayal communicated during Review from all three. It feels like there was a shared understanding that Marcus’s creativity would be appreciated (that’s why he puts so very much into it) - that it would be different. But when he achieves his goal, one he has slept on the floor of The Beef for, it is met with aggression and destruction. There was an understanding that Syd walked away from kitchens because of the shouting pyscho, and Carmy is the only reason she has walked back. But it's a hard boundary for her, and Carmy regresses to that in a crisis. Carm has invested a lot of trust in these two, and feels betrayed, personally (why are you fucking with me x 4) by Marcus’s perceived lack of focus (he warned him) during said crisis and by risotto gate, as well as Syd’s leaving (what are you doing x4).

The Beef is not just a job for any of the characters, they all really care about it – but there is something specific about creative expression – the way in which it is the movement of the universe through you as a vessel, its uniquely human quality, the way it leaves shards of your soul littered throughout the world that is very specific, and I think Syd and Marcus both feel punished for their creativity here, but, more importantly, they both know it’s worth – and that’s a huge part of why they leave. They are giving more than labour, and they value it accordingly. As they should. I will keep saying it, again and again - I am glad they both leave, that they reject dysfunction and abuse. More importantly, I am glad that the show supports their decision - we don't see them apologise to Carmen because the writers frame his behaviour as not OK, in numerous ways. This framing is a part of the optimism The Bear, this belief that things can - and should - be better for it's workers.

It is not lost on me that the same people that wrote this episode are now on strike, and come from another industry that we know to be riddled with abuses. Some of us (me) know this from experience.

We should talk about risotto next.

This is part of a five part series! You can find the rest here:

Expect More: Syd and Carmy's relationship,

I know you'll be listening: Marcus, McDonald's and Freedom

Risottogate

Hiring New Fucking Broads: Syd, Richie and conflict;

"That's Not You" The Moment Syd Walks Out

*in hindsight, this scene is a paralell to the moment in Pasta when they speak about the Michelin star call at Carmy's place. I think Sydney hears Carmy's dread, but I'm not convinced she's really listening, or connecting that with his 'trapped' from the previous episode's business pitch to Jimmy. These two, eh? It's not their fault they're in a TV show, but I wish they'd ask more follow up questions.

#the bear #marcus the bear #sydney adamu #carmy berzatto

45 notes · View notes

the-berf · 8 months

Text

Nobody expected the zombie outbreak. Especially not in Chicago. Maybe DC, probably New York. But Chicago? Fuck that. Yet that was exactly where it began, spreading silently until it couldn't be denied anymore and curfews were in place. Carmy did the only sensible thing. He messaged everyone at The Beef.

[Bring family to the restaurant if you need. It's secure and has food. We can weather this shit together.]

To his absolute surprise most of the crew turned up. And most of them didn't have family so to speak. Carmy didn't comment, just set about making more space, making sure there was enough food to go round while it was still rationed sensibly.

It worked. They were safe, zombies shuffled past but it wasn't too bad. Yet. But as more people were bitten there were more zombies and more taps on windows. Nobody knew how it happened, probably Carmy going out for a smoke but the door swung open unexpectedly and a zombie shuffled in, eyes vacant and mouth hanging open.

"Fuck! Cousin?" Richie hollered from the prept table. "We got a visitor."

Chaos unfolded. Richie continued yelling, backing away. Carmy was rushing in, as was Syd while Tina cursed, trying to shoo the zombie out. It wasn't working.

"Cousin!" Carmy was looking at Richie, completely ignoring the zombie. "Don't you dare use that knife for anything but prep. Don't you fucking dare!"

"You'd rather a zombie eat me?"

"I'd rather you didn't ruin a perfectly good knife on a zombie! Especially one nowhere near you!"

"Because it's about to bite you, you jagoff! Watch out!"

Indeed, the zombie was approaching Carmy who was red in the face with anger. Annoyance redirected, Carmy took a step back as the zombie bit at the air where he'd just stood.

"Fuck off!" He bellowed and grabbed the nearest thing. The piece of raw steak slapped wetly against the zombie's face before plopping onto the floor. There was no chance to curse as the zombie launched after the steak and began munching on it noisily. The slurping was the only thing audible as they all stared dumbly at the scene before them.

"Well fuck me." Carmy rubbed his clean hand over his face.

Zombie fed, it was a relatively easy to herd it back outside. Leaning against the door, Carmy's eyes sought out Sydney's.

"New menu?"

"Oh fuck no." After a beat, Syd sighed. "Fine. But we're doing this my way."

"Heard, chef."

What followed was chaos. Figuring out how little to sear steaks, how to make blood jus and glaze to drizzle oveer veg because a zombie was still a human body that needed a balanced diet. Testing the meals was easy enough, they put the plates outside and peered through the window to see which one got cleared first. The technique also had the effect of training the zombies to linger around the restaurant like stray cats.

Eventually they had what felt like a zombie friendly menu. Even better, Nat had wrangled state funding for their zombie coralling and pacification programme. Nervous, armed with home made shields, The Beef opened its doors. Zombies shuffled in and, like the world's strangest domesticated humanoids, went to the plates set out.

Oddly, it worked. The zombies seemed content, government funding helped and The Beef was finally turning profit. It couldn't last.

Most zombies were polite, took the offered food, shuffled in and out the propped open doors. Rarely there were more...energetic...zombies. Thankfully they usually got distracted by the plates. However, one particular one burst through the doors and made a mad dash for the counter.

"Hey!" Richie yelled, trying to scare the zombie off. "Don't do it, just don't." It didn't work as the zombie scrambled onto the desk and Richie let out an incoherent shout.

Rounding the corner, Carmy was half shitting his pants that he was walking in on his cousin turning into a zombie. Instead, he heard a very outraged and muffled "rude!"

The sight of Richie spitting violently, blood around his mouth and dribbling down his chin had Carmy staggering backwards in shock.

"The fuck, cuz?" Carmy looked between Richie and the zombie slumped on the counter with a bite mark visible on its arm. "Did you just fucking bite a zombie?!"

"It was going to bite me first!" Richie spat again. "Taste of its own medicine."

A rather human groan sounded from the counter and Carmy looked on with horrified interest. "Did you-? You did. Fuck. Richie, how the fuck?"

Disbelief coloured Richie's laugh as the now ex-zombie stood up.

"You cured a zombie. Fuck me." Carmy laughed too. "Is it just you? Yo Syd!"

"Yes chef?" Syd appeared a moment later.

"Richie just bit a zombie. And it turned human again."

"No."

"Yeah."

Outraged, Richie wiped at his lips. "Oi! Are you surprised that it was me? Or that it worked?"

Carmy and Syd looked at him with an exasperated "yes" in unison. The offended crinkle to Richie's nose signalled an argument incoming. It wasn't a false sign either. He argued for testing the theory by someone else biting a zombie because it was disgusting and he wasn't doing it again. However, Syd thought that biting someone was unethical, even if it was in their best interest. Meanwhile Carmy wasn't sure they should be actively destroying their clientbase when they were finally turning a profit.

In the end Nat phoned the situation in and the decision was taken out of their hands. In three months The Beef was back to how it used to be, menu and all.

#carmen berzatto #carmy berzatto #sydney adamu #richie jerimovich #carmy & richie #syd & carmy #the bear #the bear fx #the bear hulu #zombie au

12 notes · View notes

the-berf · 8 months

Text

It was hot as balls. Summer in Chicago was exceptionally brutal that year and the AC in the kitchen of The Beef was, to put it politely, had seen better days. Much better ones. As a result working there was becoming quite the challenge. Smoke breaks were gone in favour of water breaks in the walk-in chiller. It was an unspoken agreement that they took turns in there or, for a super quick cooldown, the walk-in freezer was employed. In for a minute to bask in the shocking cold then out. To actually need something from either walk-ins was a blissful treat.

Carmy had been by the stoves, too warm to even curse. Why he thought becoming a chef then working in a shitty little place like The Beef was beyond him. Everything was grating on his nerves and going outside for a much needed smoke was unthinkable. As much as he craved it, facing yet more heat was beyond sanity. So he'd not smoked since early morning, was jittery as fuck, too warm and in desperate need of a break.

"Get in the walk-in," Richie snapped at him.

"No time."

"Then the freezer. Just looking at you gives me heat stroke."

Syd was already next to him, ushering him out of the way for a much needed break. Annoyed, Carmy march away because if he stayed, if he argued, he might just punch someone. Wrenching the door of the freezer open harshly, he stalked in, relishing the slamming of the door. For a moment it didn't feel too cold, even as his breath curled in the air. Fuck but did the change in temperature feel good. Running hands through his hair, Carmy let out a groan, eyes shut. Maybe he had needed the cold break. Should probably get a drink too. He truly was the master of "do as I say, not as I do".

A shiver running down his spine, Carmy walked back to the door and tried to open it. Nothing happened. Giving it a shoulder shove, all Carmy got was the promise of a new bruise. Thumping on the door, he yelled.

"Yo! Cut it out!" There was no answer. "Yo! Cousin! This isn't funny!"

After a moment he slapped his hand repeatedly against the door, hissing at the chill that was seeping through him. Fuck the freezer and regulation temperatures.

"Cousin?" Richie's voice was filled with annoyance. "You trip and twist your knickers or something?"

The handle rattled but the door didn't budge.

"Carm, stop being an idiot. Come on out!"

"I'm trying, jag-off!"

"Then try harder!"

Carmy pushed while Richie pulled to no avail. The door wouldn't move. On the outside a commotion was growing as more and more of the staff tried to help open the door. Nothing seemed to be working and, as the minutes ticked by, Carmy paced the short few steps back and forth, teeth chattering. Goosebumps decorated his bare arms, the sweat that had been making his t-shirt cling to his back was starting to feel a little crispy.

"Hurry the fuck up! I'm going to literally freeze my balls off in here!"

"Not like you were using them anyway."

Richie's answer was a little muffled but it got Carmy seeing red. The anger at least gave him the illusion of warmth as he spun and snarled at the door. "Fuck you! You wanted me in here! Is this what you did to Mikey too? So desperate to take this shithole from us. Well guess what, dickhead! This will always be a Berzatto family restaurant and you will never be a Berzatto."

For a moment there was silence. An absolute stillness and even Carmy held his breath.

"I'm going to get you out," Richie said firmly. "Just so I can look you in the eye like a man before punching your lights out."

"Oi! Cut it out!" That was Syd, the voice of reason. She only served to irritate Carmy further.

"Are you in on this?" Because she had been there to take over and help get Carmy in the freezer. "What did he offer? 30% of the restaurant once I'm out of the way and Nat's refused to take over? Or 40% if you suck his cock once a week?"

"Jeff!" The outrage in Tina's voice brought him up short. "We're trying to help. You're not making it easy."

Which made Carmy question something. "Who the fuck is running the restaurant? Get back to work. You want to get paid? Get to fucking work! All of you!"

It was so cold. Carmy sank down to sit on the floor, knees pulled to his chest, arms hugging around them. His chin slotted perfectly into the divot between his knees. Shivering, he tried to ignore the noises from outside. It was pointless, they should prioritise the restaurant, make sure orders were being taken and filler. Not like he was going anywhere. Eyes closing, Carmy let his mind drift to anything other than the cold.

"Carmy? You okay?" Syd sounded closer and, against better judgement, Carmy shuffled closer to the door, leaning against it. His arm near enough burned from touching the metal of it.

"Yeah, hust fuckig fine. How're the orders?" Maybe his sense of time was fucked but he had only sat down a few moments earlier.

On the other side of the door was some muttering. He could just about catch snippets like "slurring?" and "keep him talking" and "hurry the fuck up".

"Uh, yeah, orders are good," Syd replied. "Got one in that I wanted to run past you. Guy wants gravy as dip. But wants it fresh and to the family recipe standard. Can you run me through the gravy recipe?"

"The fuck?" Carmy almost laughed, it even stopped his teeth chattering. "You hit your head and suddenly can't make gravy?"

"He's insisting. Wants the Berzatto special." From where she stood by the door, Syd shot Richie a glare as he tried to hold back laughter.

"Berzatto special baby gravy." The words burst from Richie right as Fak rounded the corner, ready to pull the freezer door apart.

Too tired, Carmy couldn't bring himself to rage at the stupid joke. He was too tired to do anything really. A nap sounded good. Really good actually.

"How long he been in there?" Fak asked the others.

"Too long," Richie said at the same time as Syd replied, "Coming up to half an hour. Regulations don't let you stay longer than fifteen and even that's with appropriate clothing."

Nodding, Fak discarded some of his tools. "So time is of the essence." More loudly he added, "I'll get you out in no time, Carm."

There was no response from inside the freezer. Alarmed looks were exchanged.

"Just get him the fuck out."

Tina had taken initiative and closed the restaurant. Nobody could focus as the wrong kind of tension mounted in the kitchen. They all crowded as close as sensible, just about leaving room for Fak to work. The entire door was coming off, hinges and all. Helplessness engulfed them. There was a sugar laden tea cooling on the side and someone had grabbed a throw from the office, along with a cushion.

Finally, the last bolt was out and, between Fak and Marcus, they managed to wrench it out of place, the broken lock slipping out of its socket with ease. As they moved, Carmy near enough spilled out of the freezer, flopped on the floor without the door to hold him up anymore.

Richie's excalamtion of "fuck" was coupled with him rushing to Carmy's side, rolling him onto his back. More pale than normal, breaths slow and shallow, Carmy was unresponsive.

"We need to move him, get him warm." Syd was on Carmy's other side hand hovering over him but not quite daring to touch.

"No shit, Sherlock." With that Richie scooped Carmy up, trying not to think about how cold he felt to touch. Thinking about heat, Riche set him down in front of the ovens, grateful that Syd was hot on his heel with the throw and cushion.

What followed were some agonisingly slow minutes. Nobody dared even move really, worried it might somehow set Carmy's warming progress back. At least the pallid colour of his cheeks was changing. Nowhere near rosy and healthy but better. Not to mention that the only time anyone had ever seen Carmy truly flushed was when he was red in the face from yelling in rage.

"Carmen?" Richie nudged him, desperate for a response but he got nothing. "Come on, cousin. Don't be a dickbag."

Reaching out, he patted Carmy's cheek, intent on annoying him into consciousness. To an extent it worked as Carmy left out a soft moan and tried to turn his head away. At least it was progress.

"Thank fuck." Ever the man of simple words, Richie sat back on his heels with a laugh. "Didn't think his insurance would have covered this."

Ever so slowly, Carmy returned to the land of the living. It started with a disgruntled little huff which turned into discomfort and pain as he turned to curl in on himself. At least he was shivering again by the time his eyes opened, blinking blearily at first.

"F-f-f-fuck."

"Here, drink." Syd held the warm tea while Richie helped sit Carmy up. Some of it spilled as Carmy got his hands around the mug, shivers making him shake violently. Before he could spiral, Syd was there with a steadying hand. "It's okay, just drink what you can. We'll take care of everything else."

A little cowed, Carmy let his hands be guided so he could drink the sugar laden tea, not ever recognising that the solid wall of heat behind him was actually Richie. At least, not until Syd was taking the mostly empty mug and a hand brushed fondly through his hair.

"Trust you to be the contrary fuck to get hypothermia in the middle of summer."

Too tired to care, Carmy shrugged and leaned back, content to let the others hold down the fort for the time being. Before he closed his eyes to relish the warmth he was surrounded by, Carmy managed a croaky "sorry" which was waved off. Whether he was apologising for getting stuck, for the shit he said or for just generally existing was hard to tell. But, in a way, it didn't matter because they were all family and forgiving each other was core to that.

#carmen berzatto #carmy berzatto #richie jerimovich #sydney adamu #carmy & richie #syd & carmy #the bear #the bear fx #the bear hulu #cw hypothermia #carmy whump

13 notes · View notes