#joey bada$$ × black!reader

[henneseyhoe]

Milk Marie

Unique x BLACK!FEM!reader

WARNINGS: unprotected seggs(wrap before you tap!), dirty talk, after care, soft(ish)!Unique, pussy whipped!Unique, kinda short, das it(I think)

SUMMARY: Unique figures if he can’t get over her, he’ll get under her instead.

✮Prompt✮

✮✮✮✮

Girl, I want everything that come with you. Even if you got stretch marks and even two children. I can’t blame you, girl.

It seemed like he always ended back up here. Right here. In this bed. With this woman. Wrapped up in her sheets with his hands touching all the parts only the luckiest of men got the pleasure of even seeing. He swore they were meant to be, and she almost thought so too. He treated her so well, like the beauty she was, and she couldn’t be more grateful.

They had known each other since the sandbox, his mother always offering to watch her while her mother was at work and since that first time they met, they were connected at the hip.

No matter if they fell out and swore to stop fuckin’ with each other, they always ended right back together. No matter how many times she attempted to leave, he’d just find her again.

He hoped by the last time she left he’d be too tired of her bullshit to follow after her, but he was more resilient than he thought, and withdrawals are a muthafucka. Now he knows how the people he serves feel.

That first taste he had of her? It was like a babies first lick of sugar, addiction waiting to happen. The first time he came was like floating in outer space with no destination or desire to be anywhere else. And as ironic as it was, she looked innocent on her knees for him.

Her mouth worked its way down on him until the tip of her nose touched his stomach and her eyes began to water, her throat capturing his entire length. With no problem, she bobbed her head up and down on him, her mouth so sloppy that spit escaped from her lips and trailed down to his balls, making him shudder.

She took her hand and began spreading the spit around his heavy sack, massaging as she felt him throb in her mouth, the taste of precum already being prevalent on her tongue. He occupies his hands and digs his fingers into the couch cushions, knowing that she would stop and he’d be fucked if he reached for her freshly done silk press that was wrapped in a silk scarf, secure for those rough times.

Flashes of white appeared behind his eyes like stars as that familiar pull in the bottom of his stomach appeared once again, a warm sense of feeling covering his body as he came down her throat for the first time in months since he found out where she had been hiding. Which just ended up being her childhood home in the city over.

It took unique all but a mere few seconds to recover before he was pulling her up from her knees and into his strong hold, giving her that kiss of death before he got to doing his own damage. As he stood from the couch with no care about the jeans and belt still around his thighs, their tongues danced together in sync. Unique could taste every bit of both of them on her tongue, but he was never one to fuss about kissing after head if it was with her. He welcomed it if anything.

Tossing her body onto the bed, he takes a second to admire how the room hadn’t changed one bit since she became an adult. A doll house sat in the corner with dolls still inside, a memory of the last time she had played with them. Teddy bears that had eventually fallen off the bed when she was sat. Pink walls with brown, white, and gold for the future. A color pallet reminding him of something else in particular.

✮✮✮✮

“Nique~” She moaned sweetly, her hands gripping the sheets underneath her as the man above her pushed his hips onto her ass, his piece sinking into her ever so slowly. The stretch was always the same, the thickness of him leaving a burning sensation at her entrance the more he pushed into her, but it only stayed for a few seconds as she adjusted to his size, which was nothing average.

The thrusts were sensual and loving until he leans up off of her and pulls out just a bit further than usual, giving her the room to pull her ass up in the air and put a perfect arch in her back. She began bouncing herself back onto him, gaining speed and momentum as he meets her ass with his hips.

“Oh fuck..” He groans quietly.

His eyes were trained on the motions of her soft skin jiggling with every collide of their bodies. His thrusts only got harder from there, segments of moans falling from the girls lips. He didn’t even have to tell her how wet she was, the squelching sounds erupting from where they connected told her all she needed to know.

Switching the angle of his thrusts, he places one knee onto the bed and leans into her, his hands placed in the middle of her back just to make sure she wouldn’t be able to run from the lethal position. And running, she did not do, couldn’t do because of how he was holding her. Suddenly the bed dipped under them both with the strong force of his thrust making her collapse on her stomach, leaving the girl breathless after calling out to the highest one she worshipped.

“You feel that, baby? I’m in it?” He asks with his breathing unsteady, his balls tightening and her toes curling.

“Yes, Nique!”

She was in shambles trying to keep up with him. She could feel the tip of his dick pressing against her g spot, constantly slamming into it like a button, like he’d get some kind of prize if he pushed it correctly. He fucked her so hard, sweet compliments being the only things that contradicted the rough strokes. She could hear the belt buckle of his pants jingling around his ankles, remembering that they had barely been undressed fully before Unique got impatient and just shoved his pants down and her nightgown up before pushing her to her knees.

As Unique continued on with damn near breaking this girls childhood bed, he thought to himself. This was the pussy that niggas killed for. The type pussy that’d have you bussing back to back without a second thought about a condom. This was the pussy he thought about on those lonely nights when she was mad at him, when he had to take matters into his own hands and desperately jerk himself off, his mouth agape and muscles flexing as he cums all over his stomach to the beautiful thought that was her.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” She whimpers. At this point she could feel him poking at her stomach and being pressed against the mattress helped nothing. He would probably fuck her through the cushion if he could.

“Uh-huh. Cum on this dick, Princess. Lemme feel you wet this dick up, show me how good I make this pussy feel” He spoke, punching nothing but a thick 9 inch pole into her spine. The man gave her no choice but to scream and give him exactly what he wanted, which was her release.

✮✮✮✮

Between her thighs were messy and wet, coated with a layer of white cream that was from both of them. Unique gently wiped her down with a wet towel, careful not to swipe over her sensitive clit too fast or harsh.

“Shhh—“ She hissed, her thighs almost closing in on his hand. Unique’s eyes flickered from her core up to her expression. “My bad” He simply apologized before tossing away the dirty rag in a hamper next to the bed. Laying next to her on his back, he sighs. “you gon’ learn to stop running from what you love”

She smiles, turning her head to look at the side of his face, getting a view of that nearly perfect profile. “Who says I love you, Unique?”

He smirks. “I don’t need a second opinion on a fact”

And the cycle continues…

✮✮✮✮

Woke up and remembered I forgot the taglist chile! LMFAO(some tags aren’t showing up, dk why!)

🏷️ @thatone-girly @notapradagurl7 @swavydadon @miyahmaraj @planetblaque @msinterlude @milkiboo @bloodripleygal @stevelacyballs @naj-ay444 @blackelysian @shaolyninferno

[notapradagurl7]

Entangled.

Black Fem! Reader x Kadeem “Unique��� Mathis from Raising Kanan.

Summary: After years of achieving your disappearance and retirement away from the drug game, away from Unique. You didn't expect the man to be into your house and in your kitchen but he did more than say something. You almost couldn't believe it but your old flame was alive.

WC: 3,919k.

A/N: I enjoyed writing this one,❤️ don’t forget to reblog, comment and like to support, remember don’t be afraid to send in a request they’re always open.

Warnings: angst, praise, makeup sex, biting, choking kink, kitchen sex switches to bedroom sex, various positions, cursing, spanking, fingering, heavy dirty talk, nipple play, consensual intimacy, dumbification, unprotected sex, pussywhipped!Unique, soft!Unique,

Taglist: @megamindsecretlair @satoruya @planetblaque

@playgurlxoxo @blkgirlsneedlove2 @dabratzchronicles

@jazziejax

@beenathembo @brattyfics

@hxneyclouds @yassbishimvintage

@nahimjustfeelingit-writes @nayaesworld @ovohanna24

@novahreign @writingsbytee @avoidthings @kimuzostar @slippinninque @keyera-jackson @theblacklewinsky

@euphorichappiness10 @life-in-the-slut-house @siqueth

@ranikyani @naj-ay444

@uniqueoutlierblog @mama-2001

@fakxmbj @kaylalb @theereina @uzumaki-rebellion @blyffe @kumkaniudaku @ranikyani @luckydaye777 @foxybrownsugababe @caashmoneynae

—————

Southside, Jamaica Queens ‘93.

Your sleek black Mercedes glided silently onto the gravel driveway of your modest home. As the engine's purring faded once you took the key out of the ignition, your hand instinctively shot out to grasp the door handle, your heart just starting to soothe from the day’s events.

The cool late-night air brushed across your face, refreshing to feel. But your composure faltered as your gaze fell upon the open window. “What the hell?” you mumbled angrily.

In one swift motion, you snatched the polished Beretta model 81 from your purse, switching to the chaos of your racing thoughts.

Years had passed since you had slipped into the shadows, and retired, finally leaving behind the dangerous drug world and mainly trying to stay away your old flame, Unique.

You had traded the streets of Queens for the silence of the suburban neighborhood named Forest Hills, seeking refuge from the relentless cycle of death, betrayal, and the fear that always loomed over your shoulder.

With each careful step toward your front door, sharpened your senses, and you held the gun tightly, your fingers wrapped around its trigger as if it were an extension of yourself.

Once dismissed as nothing more than a simple country bumpkin from the small town of South Carolina, you transformed yourself into a feared drug queenpin in the gritty underbelly of Southside, Jamaica Queens, New York.

You earned a reputation as the most ruthless and calculating drug queenpin the streets had ever seen, commanding respect and fear in equal measure.

Your climb to power caught the attention of Unique, a formidable rival also competing for the top spot in the dangerous game of the drug world.

The competition between you ignited a spark, and what began as animosity soon evolved into a mutual attraction.

In the heat of those tense confrontations, the pent-up frustration morphed into something undeniable: you found yourself reaching out to Unique, inviting him into your life more for some good sex that left you both breathless.

As the nights unfolded, filled with passion and fervor, Unique fell for you—deeply and irrevocably.

And you, despite the chaos surrounding you, discovered that your heart mirrored his, entwining your fates in ways neither of you had expected.

When Unique loved, he loved deeply. He endured a vicious assault at the hands of his brother, Ronnie, who struck him with a steel pipe, leaving him severely injured.

Following this harrowing event, Unique managed to drag himself out of the woods and reached out to Early Tyler for assistance.

When your trusted right-hand man Marcus informed you that Unique had died and been buried, you instinctively suspected Ronnie's involvement.

The news shattered you, and you found yourself in tears. You had to leave this drug world once and for all.

However, upon seeing the news report on your television confirming Ronnie's death, a sense of relief washed over you.

You cautiously nudged the heavy front door open, its hinges groaning ominously. With a swift motion, you shut the door behind you, the sharp click of the lock echoing in the silence, sealing you inside.

Ever since that fateful night, Unique had clawed his way back, defying the odds that had so many convinced he was gone for good.

*You had once dismissed the whispers of his survival as mere folklore, but now an undeniable curiosity stirred within you—the need to witness the truth for yourself.*

In your home, you gradually walked in the kitchen, gripping a gun tightly in your hand. You flipped the light switch, brightening the spacious room with a warm, amber glow that bounced off the walls.

“Who the hell are you to break in my fucking house! Do you know who I am?” You hollered with authority, aiming your gun at the man.

Your nose caught a whiff of his familiar cologne, you wanted to believe it.

Your face contorted with confusion and shock, your jaw dropped once your eyes landed on that familiar glow of his gold chains, clinking together, the smell of cedar, a hint of something sweet from his cologne.

His low-cut fade is freshly trimmed, scars on the side of his face and his deep ebony skin glistens under the light, he was eating your favorite ice cream while his back leaned against the sink counter, and his deep brown eyes met yours.

It couldn't be him, right?

”U-Unique?” You spoke up, your voice cracked with heavy emotion.

He looked up and smirked, the corner of his mouth lifting in that way you remembered so well. “Damn, you ain't happy to see me, baby? You still aimin’ that gun at me, I ain’t no intruder; my bad for the sudden surprise,”

“Kadeem? I thought you were dead,” you lamented in worry, keeping your gun steady, though your hands trembled slightly.

He remembered that you called him by his real name during the conversations when it was serious. His face softened at you, tugging at his heartstrings.

“Yeah, well, rumors be wildin’. You know how it is,” he crooned, stepping closer, and placing the empty bowl and spoon in the sink.

“Put that fuckin’ gun down,” Unique shot back, his voice laced with frustration. His New York accent left his speech.

“Put my fuckin’ window down first and then lock it, don't ever do that scary shit again,” You shot back, your voice laced with emotion.

He wasn't dead, he was alive. Breathing right in front of you, you couldn't believe it. Unique still remembered you? You guessed with a head injury like that, he would have some memory loss.

You face softened at the sight of him, but you lowered the gun onto the counter, the clacker echoing in the room as the wind blew into the kitchen and Unique gently shut the window back down before spinning around, he locked it and walked back toward you.

Your lip quivered, feeling tears fall down your face before wiping them away, “Kadeem, why? Why would you come back and hurt me again like this?”

He pulled you close to face with his arms, making you face him forward with that sinful smirk of his. The feel of his hands was warm, against the fabric of your black dress.

Your hands stayed at your sides, not ready to touch him but it felt real. “I never wanted to hurt you, I love you.” Unique whispered to you, kissing the shell of your ear.

He leaned in close, his lips crashed against yours felt warm, soft and loving, you leaned in by kissing him back as your arms wrapped around his waist. “I love you too,” you mumbled, You could resist but lay your head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat.

“Six months, that's how long were you out there? I heard that Ronnie was dead on the news, after that, I left the game for good,” You admitted firmly, pulling away to look at him.

“Listen, I didn’t come back to hurt you, I was layin’ low, and had to get back at Raq for takin’ my work from me,” he said frimly, dipping his head to catch your gaze. His tone filled with bitterness at the end.

“I came back 'cause I had to. Ain’t no way I was gonna let you think I was gone for good.”

You swallowed hard, the intensity of his stare making it hard to breathe. “You don’t get to just waltz back into my life after all this time! Do you have any idea what I went through?”

His grip on the counter tightened, desperation and longing in his eyes. “Yeah, I know. I heard things, baby. I thought I lost you for good. You think I wanted to leave you like that? You think I wanted you to think I was dead?”

“Then why’d you let me believe it?” you shot back, the anger in your voice laced with the pain of those lost years.

“Cause I had to get myself right for me, get my work back on these streets and let niggas know who to fear and who’s the king,” he replied, his voice audible and rough. That rasp in his tone made you shudder.

“I had to play dead to keep you safe Y/N. Ain’t nobody gonna hurt you while I’m around, ya feel me?” Unique exclaimed, an evil smirk on his face with a dark chuckle.

His words hung in the air, heavy with love. You wanted to stay mad at him, but the truth was, you missed him. You missed the way he made you feel alive, the way he could pull you out of the darkest moments.

“Unique—” you started, but he cut you off, his thumb brushing against your cheek.

“Just let me explain baby,” he murmured, pulling you even closer until your bodies were flush against each other.

“I came back for you. You’re all I could think about, all the time I was gone. You’re my girl, you know that?” He said, his voice genuine.

The sincerity in his voice broke through your defenses, and you could feel the walls you’d built around your heart start to crumble. “You can’t just come back into my life and expect everything to be okay, Kadeem. It doesn’t work like that.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m not just any nigga. I’m Unique, remember? I don’t give up that easy, just ‘cause you’re done with the game, don't mean we done” he said, his smirk returning as he leaned in closer.

You could barely think, the way he was looking at you made your heart race. “You always did have a way with words,” you admitted, a small smile breaking through the tension.

“Damn right, I do, And I know what you need, baby. Let me show you.” he replied, his voice dropping lower as he leaned in, his lips brushing against yours.

Before you could respond, Unique crashed his lips against yours, heat flowed through your body. It was like a dam had broken, all the pent-up desire and frustration of years away from each other flooding back in an instant.

Your lips melted against him, your hands finding their way to his face, tugging him closer as he deepened the kiss. “You've got all making up to do, you know that?”

“I ain't come here for the ice cream, now did I? Can I show you how much I missed you?” Unique flirted playfully, his voice raised an octave.

“Yes, please,” You spoke up, your voice was soft yet a bit desperate, not too much. It was all because you missed him that much, just feel him this much was enough to make you jump his bones.

Unique lifted you effortlessly, your legs wrapping around his waist as he pressed you against the cool granite. You lowered the zipper of his jacket, exposing his black t-shirt.

He removed his jacket and then took off his t-shirt, showing the healed patches faded on his ribs, while leaving his gold chains on.

"Take this off," Unique commanded, a rumbling from his voice made your pussy clench.

You slid off your dress, and threw it onto the floor, you had no bra which let your breasts fall out, and your brown nipples poked out, sliding off your shoes and socks.

His fingers deftly pushed your black panties to the side, sliding them off while his eyes caught the sticky line of your pussy from your panties, Unique smirked up at you.

“You’re this fuckin’ wet?” he brought up, his voice deepening. That deep yet slightly raspy voice of his made your pussy flutter, fuck. Unbuckling his belt, and unzipped his pants, kicking off his shoes and socks.

"Damn, your titties are hard and that pussy is wet. You missed me that much?” Unique shot back, his tongue glided across his lip. There he goes again, using that charm.

You spread your legs wide for him, while his middle finger circles your throbbing clit prompting your mouth to part wide, “Fuck yes, I missed you too,” you moaned softly, whimpering just how he liked it.

His fingers slipped between your wet folds with his thumb resting on your clit, pumping them in and out of you eliciting loud sweet moans from your lips, but it was much harder, yet loving, you remembered the safe word but you knew that both of you didn't want to stop.

“S-shit! ‘Nique!” you screamed out, your body shaking. His gold rings grazed your labia and clit, causing your pussy to tighten. The soft squelching sounds of your pussy swallowing his digits spurred him on, and a low groan aired out. You were so wet it was a bit embarrassing.

You turned your head to the side but his other hand wrapped around your neck, making you face him forward. “Don't hide that pretty face from me,” he whispered, sinking his teeth into your neck. You wanted more, Wrapping his mouth around your nipple, sucking it. Splattering across his wrist.

“Fuck!” you moaned, your hand rested on the nape of his neck. Was he trying to ruin you in this way? If you count the ways, he was like a hold you couldn't shake.

It was the same for Unique, he couldn't let you go even if he tried, and the thought of losing you scared him. He kept watch of you while he was laying low, and he heard the word on the street that you disappeared, vanished like a ghost.

It was true, he saw that outside

and you were gone from the game, but he never forgot you. He had to come back, to reclaim not his territory, but you too.

His gold jewelry glistens with your essence under the kitchen lights, Unique watching your body writhe against his fingers, the pleasure evident on on your face. “I couldn't take the thought of you bein’ gone Y/N, I had to see you,” He coaxed, his fingers slowing for a moment. Teasing you enough just to make you squirm.

“You can cum now,”

That was all it took to make your knees buckle, those knots in your stomach finally untie and your essence poured onto his fingers, he lifted your legs onto his shoulders and lapped his tongue onto your folds, you shook underneath him. “Fuck!” slurping and swallowing every trickle. “You taste so fuckin’ good, so beautiful when you cum like that,” he hummed softly, kissing your clit twice.

Unique pulled his fingers away and turned your body sideways on the counter, finally sliding off his pants, boxers. His dick in his hand, thick, and wide, his tip beading precum.

As he pushed into you, you gasped—your walls enveloping him, squeezing his dick tightly as he filled you completely inch by inch. “You know what'chu do to me baby?” he groaned, forcefully thrusting into you, feeling the thickness of his dick pulsate inside your wet walls.

“Oh fuck, Yes!” you gasped sharply, as your hands gripped his shoulders tight. The chill from the countertop made your nipples harden again, making you hiss.

He rutted his dick in and out you with all his might, as if his dick was a weapon, as if he was trying to reclaim everything he lost, every inch feeling you up. Your ass clapped against his thighs, causing a hot sensation, he fucked you till you went stupid, “I missed you so much,” Unique groans lowly, he meant it. He wanted you to feel his love just like his thrusts, deeply.

Unique grabbed your right leg and hooked it underneath his arm, thrusting even deeper, hitting a spot that made you squirt without even cumming, "Shit! Unique! please!” you cried out, the pleasure overwhelming you as he continued to pound into you relentlessly.

Your eyes rolled back and closed them shut, relishing in the blissful feeling. His hand roughly smacked your ass, sending a jolt of pleasure through you. “Look at you, so pretty like this?”

“Unique!” you screamed, your body convulsing as you rode out your orgasm, your essence spilling out while his warm jets of cum painted your walls, he groaned your name lowly while fucking you through your orgasm.

He made sure to bury much of his cum inside you, you shook and he leaned in for a long passionate kiss, your mouth parted for your tongues tangled together. “So beautiful,” he murmured, pulling away to leave a string of spit between both of you.

He pulled out of you, eliciting a feeble whine from you and a dark chuckle from him, lifting you off the counter before kissing your lips twice again.

You both collapsed against the counter, panting heavily as you tried to catch your breath. Unique pulled you close, wrapping his arms around you as your thumb swiped over his cheek.

“I missed you,” he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

“I missed you too,” you admitted, your heart swelling with emotion as you snuggled closer to him. “But what now? What happens next?”

Unique looked down at you, his expression serious yet filled with warmth. “We take it one day at a time. I’m not goin’ anywhere this time. I promise.”

You smiled softly, still a bit unsure about everything for the future, especially Unique. “Okay,” you whispered softly.

But Unique wasn’t done with you yet. “Nah, baby, we ain’t done here, and I got more to show you.” he said, a playful smirk on his face as he lifted you up again, carrying you toward the bedroom.

You giggled, excitement bubbling within you as he laid you down on the soft sheets, his body hovering over yours. “You ready for round two?” he asked, his voice low and teasing.

“Always,” you replied, your heart racing as he leaned down, capturing your lips in a heated kiss once more.

Unique flipped you on your stomach, you knelt in the center of the bed, your heart racing with anticipation. "You ready, my love?" Unique asked, his voice soothing. You nodded, your eyes fixed on his.

"Yes," she spoke. He nestled himself behind her with his knees resting on the bed, his hands on her hips. He felt so warm, you missed his touch.

His other hand rested on the small of your back, your body melting into his touch. Sliding his dick back inside you, you moaned shakily and your body betraying you as it trembled with need. “Shit…you gon’ feel all of this dick, baby? You love it?” he taunted, smacking your ass.

“Yes! I love it! Please don’t stop!” you begged, your body responding to his every move, every thrust made you wetter, and tears blurred your vision.

“Damn right, you do, you’re mine, all mine. Ain’t nobody gonna take you from me again. You understand?” he growled, his voice dripping with lust.

“Yes, Unique! I understand!” you cried, the heat of his body against yours making you feel alive.

His hands gripped your thighs, pulling you closer as he thrust deeper, the sound of skin slapping against skin echoing in the bedroom. Drops of cum trickling onto the bedsheets, you were a babbling wet mess, he darkly chuckled, “Unique!” you screamed out, your hands clenching the blankets.

“Yeah, baby, you’re takin’ this dick so good. You were made for me, weren’t you?” he encouraged, his voice deep. Drilling into you with relentless thrusts, nails dug deep.

“Y-yes! I was made for you!” you moaned, your back arching against him as he picked up the pace. The sound of the bed creaking aired out, mixing with your breathy gasps and Unique’s deep groans.

“Look at you, all fucked out and wet already, you love me bein’ back in your life like this?” he teased, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

“Yes!” you admitted, your voice trembling as his hand gripped your neck gently, just enough to send shivers down your spine. The slight pressure made you feel lightheaded, and you couldn’t help but lean into it.

“Good girl,” he praised, his hand on your neck turned your head, almost giving you whiplash. He kissed your lips again voice dripping with lust.

He releases your neck, and your head falls onto the pillow, muffling your slurred moans. He felt the heat radiating from your body, and it drove him wild. “Fuck, you feel so good,” he groaned lowly, biting down on his lip.

He was hitting all those right spots from the back that made you see stars, his dick went deeper and deeper, and your essence coated him completely. “Damn, I can see your pussy swallowin’ me up from back here,” he teased, peppering kisses up your back.

He fell in love all over again, each thrust made your legs feel like jello, and your knees go weak. “Baby, I'm cumming!” you felt yourself teetering on the edge of another orgasm.

“Do it,”

After those words, the coil finally snapped, and you cried out, your body shuddering in pleasure as your essence spilled out onto his dick completely. Unique followed right after, his warm cum filling you as he buried his face into the crook of your neck, groaning your name after kissing your skin.

Unique collapsed beside you, both of you panting heavily, hearts racing in unison. He pulled you close, wrapping his arms around you as you both tried to catch your breath.

“Damn, baby, you good?” he murmured, his voice softening as he brushed your box braids away from your face.

*You smiled, feeling warmth spread through your chest. “I'm good.”*

He kissed your forehead gently, a tender gesture that made your heart swell. “I’ll figure this out, okay? I still got some work out here to do.”

You chuckled softly, the tension of the past melting away as you nestled into his side. “Okay, be safe out there.”

“Good, Now, let’s get some sleep. ” he replied, a satisfied grin on his face.

You nodded, feeling safe and secure in his embrace, knowing that the future with was quite uncertain right now, you knew that he was risking his life every day, but you? You were out of the way, retired from the bullshit of that world, no longer apart of it but you had money coming in every day. As you drifted off to sleep, you felt peace for yourself tonight, to be back with Unique was going to be roller coaster ride.

————-

[blackelysian]

Date Night.

Joey Bada$$ as Jordan x Black! Fem! Reader

Word Count: 2,518

Warnings: 18+ Car sex (unprotected), dirty talk, minor breeding kink, nasty stuff

Summary: You and your husband, Jordan have needed some quality time together without the kids. You guys have a cute little date night and take a little adventure.

AN: I hope you guys enjoy! Im still a baby writer so please be kind. Im still new to this and I don't have a taglist yet. If you like and want to be added lmk! Ok ok Enjoy!

7:24pm

It was Friday night and I was getting ready to go on a date with my husband of 4 years, Jordan. Between the kids and his 80 hour a week job this was some much needed alone time. He took the next two days off and the kids are at his mom's so we basically had the whole weekend to ourselves. I was definitely looking forward to our long weekend together.

After applying the finishing touches to my makeup, I let down my pin curls. I begin fluffing my hair out in the mirror and just looking myself over to see how I looked. I heard a low growl come from the bathroom entrance," Damn sexy". I turn to see my boyfriend standing in the doorway entrance gently biting his bottom lip. I giggled girlishly as he walked over and wrapped his arms around me. He puts his head on my shoulder as I lean back into his chest, my heart begins to flutter. I close my eyes as I take in the scent of his cologne as he gently kisses me on the side of my head.

We stayed that way for a while just gently swaying back and forth. " We gotta' go baby, I really don't want us to miss our reservation". I whined wanting to stay in his arms a little bit longer. I stood up fully and fixed my hair . His hands were on my waist as he watched me through the mirror as I was pouting. He turns me around to face him. With him being a muscular 6'2 he towered over my small, petite frame. He grabs my chin and gently kisses my lips a few times telling me to fix my face. He gives my bottom a gentle pat as I pout. We separated and I quickly put away everything I used for my hair and makeup. I spritzed myself with my favorite Jo Malone perfume and exited the bathroom. I go to the closet strap on my heels, grab my purse and head downstairs.

Jordan was sitting on the couch aimlessly scrolling through his phone. He stops to look at me and smiles. "Ready to go?". I quickly nod my head as he grabs his keys and we head towards the door. I walk out the door and hop into the passenger side of his 2021 Range Rover as he locks up the house. He walks to the car and hops in beside me starting the car. As he backs out of the driveway an incoming facetime call comes through on my phone. I looked down at my phone seeing it was from Jordan’s mom. Probably the kids. I answer with a smile waiting for the call to connect. Once it does my smile brightens seeing their little faces in the camera. Ayla, 6 and JJ, 4. " Hi mommy!" they say in unison.

"Hi babies, what are you guys doing?"

" We made cookies with mimi", JJ says in his little soft voice. Mimi was a name they gave Jordan’s mom, instead of calling her grandma.

"Aww did you make mommy and daddy some?" I say as I fake pout into the camera.

"Yes!" Jayla shouts from behind JJ and holds up the little container with cookies in it.

"Where's daddy? '' she asked as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"I'm right here, im driving right now baby I can't hold the phone." I turned the phone towards Jordan so Ayla could see him. She's such a daddy's girl. A wide smile immediately came across her face.

Jordan glances over and smiles back at her. " Hey babygirl."

JJ pushes his little head back in the camera. " I'm ready to come home!"

I chuckle at him," Come home? You haven't been there that long. You're not having fun at Mimi's house?"

"But I miss you and daddy." The kids are so used to being with us 24/7 they can barely stand to be away from us for a day.

" We aren't coming to get you guys til after the weekend baby. Mommy and daddy are having some alone time." I pout seeing his little sad face.

"It's gonna be okay, when we come and get you guys we can spend all the time you want, okay?" I ask him, giving him a small smile.

"Okay" he says lowly, rubbing his eyes.

"Mommy is gonna call you guys tomorrow, okay I love you two" I blow kisses into the phone.

Jordan says his goodbyes and I hang up the call. " I love our little family baby" Jordan says with a smile as he drapes his arm over the back of my seat, coming to a red light. I look over at him and smile brightly " Me too, thank you for making me a mommy" I lean into the middle console to meet him halfway for what was supposed to be a quick peck but quickly turned into a passionate makeout session. A car beeps the horn from behind us, snapping us away from our moment. Jordan pulls away biting his lip as he pulls off. " Keep kissing me like that and imma give you two more..." he states, lust clear in his tone. I bite my lip and turn to look out the window as we finish making our way to the restaurant.

Once we arrived at the restaurant Jordan helped me out of the car and grabbed my hand as we walked into the restaurant. We were at 'Shoto' which was a brand new Japanese steakhouse by where we lived. I love sushi. Jordan had been trying to get us reservations here for months due to this place being so popular. Finally, he was able to snag one and he surprised me.When we walked in the restaurant was dimly lit with light music playing in the background. We walked up to the hostess stand and were greeted by the host. "Hello, Welcome to Shoto! Can I have a name?" she asks.

“Jordan," He tells the host, gently squeezing my hand.

"Jordan, table for 2 at 8:00pm. Alright, Please follow me" She says with a smile as she grabs two menus and begins to lead us towards our seats.

Once we got to the table a bouquet of roses laid beautifully next to a small tealight candle. “Aw babe, are these for me?” I say, my eyes lighting up. 

“Yea gorgeous” He says deeply, looking at me in the most loving and adoring way. He places a tender kiss on my cheek and we both scoot in the booth on the same side, him first. Once we are seated she sets down our menus "Enjoy your meal", she says with a smile before returning to the hostess stand. I looked around at the dimly lit restaurant and smiled.

" You know what you want?" Jordan asks.

"I don’t know” I drag out. 

“There's so many options. What about you?" 

“I might try these Wagyu tacos.” He turns to look at me. “Or I can just eat you” He says in a deep but hushed tone. My jaw drops as I smack his shoulder.

“Baaabe” I giggle and he winks at me.

Soon after the waiter walks up to take our orders.

"Hello, My name is Austin, I'll be taking care of you two tonight. Can I start you two off with some drinks?"

"Hmmm, I want to try the passionfruit martini please?", I say, dragging out the E.

"I'll take the old fashioned", Jordan says, as I instantly scrunched my face at his drink selection. "Eww babe whiskey, gross"

"I'm a man baby, I don't like that fruity shit", He says, looking at me as he strokes his beard.

“And… you love it when I drink brown” He winks at me again, this time sending a chill down my spine. God why was this man so fine! I look him up and down with a slight smirk.

Just as I was about to respond, the waiter came back with our drinks. "Here you are." he says, setting down our drinks. "Ready to order?" We both nod our heads. I ordered the spicy tuna rolls and Jordan settled for the Wagyu tacos.

"Alrighty, it should be out soon." The waiter says and walks away.

"That's all you want? Don't be asking for any of my food when it comes" He says with a playful mug on his face, sipping his drink.

"Boy, you know you goin feed me some anyways" I chuckle. He smacks his lips and smiles "You don't know me girl"

I playfully scoff " Please I know you better than you know yourself" I say with a smirk, now looking at him.

He starts stroking his beard again causing me to bite my lip at him. " Is that right?" His deep, raspy voice caused a slight trickle in my panties. "Mhmm" I hummed, taking a sip of my drink. I playfully rolled my eyes at him, trying to be serious to hold back the sexual tension that was slowly rising.

"You know ima always share with my baby" He leans over and kisses the side of my head and I smile.

After about 20 minutes we finished our drinks and the waiter started bringing out our food. He also brought us another round of drinks. " These are on the house", He states with a wink. "Enjoy, let me know if you need anything." He smiles and leaves us to eat our meal. A comfortable silence fell over us as we ate and finished our drinks. Him gripping my thigh from time to time and little whispers in my ear just heightened the sexual tension even more. I ended up getting another order of sushi and we got cheesecake for dessert.  After the bill came we were good and full and feeling our drinks. I could tell Jordan was just eager to get me back to the car at this point.

As he pulled out his cash to pay the bill I reapplied my lipgloss, quickly checking myself in my mini compact mirror he got me for my birthday before putting everything back in my purse. He looks over at me "Ready to go, pretty girl?". My heart flutters at the given nickname.

I drunkenly nod my head, slinging my purse over my shoulder and sliding out of the booth. He follows suit as he throws his arm around me and we walk towards the door. Once we get back into his car, he starts it up and slouches back in the seat looking at me. He reaches for the pre-rolled blunt he had sitting in the ashtray. He lights it before cracking the sunroof and pulling off. As we are riding I casually scroll through his phone looking for the next song to play. The warm night time breeze from outside coming in through the sunroof felt good on my melanated skin. Just as I made my song selection, his hand found my leg, his fingertips drawing small circles on my inner thigh, inching closer and closer to my womanhood. I look out the window and see that we weren’t on our usual route home.

“Where are we going?” I questioned, a look of confusion on my face.

“We goin make a stop real quick” He says, finishing the blunt and tossing the roach out the window.

A few minutes go by and I see we are pulling onto a back road that leads us to a cliff with an amazing view of the city. He puts the car in park, reclining his seat a little.

“Wow this is so pretty baby, I didn’t even know we had anything like this here.” I say in awe. 

“I thought it would be a perfect way to end the night.” He shifts to look at me, biting his lip.

“You goin 'come get in my lap?” He slurs in a lustful tone.

I smirk and slide my panties off and toss them in the backseat.

I crawl over the middle console and straddle his lap. His hands instantly found my ass of course. By me wearing a short skirt, it sat slightly above my ass, giving him easier access to slide his hands under there. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pokes out his lips, asking for a kiss which I gladly gave him. It didn't take long for the kiss to start to turn steamy. I moaned into his mouth as our tongues fought for dominance.

I pulled away slowly, taking his bottom lip with me. " Mm" he groans as I feel him grow underneath me. He takes a hand grabbing my neck bringing me back into his lips. He uses his free hand to hook my panties to the side, slowly rubbing up and down my slit. I lightly moan against his lips as he continued to get me worked up.

He removes his lips from mine and starts trailing open-mouthed kisses down my neck, stopping and slowly sucking on my spot.

"Damn baby" he groans, slowly sliding two fingers inside of me.

"Mm.. Jordannn" I cry throwing my head back, the squishing sounds becoming louder.

"You've been lookin good all night, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on your pretty ass" He smirks, curving his fingers up and grazing my spot causing me to lean forward into him.

"Oh fuck" My eyes closed tightly as I grind into his fingers.

"Yeah?" he asks in his low, raspy voice. "Sss..shit baby" I whine. " Im gonna cum" I pant.

“Not yet baby, I want you to cum on my dick while I make love to your beautiful ass in front of this beautiful ass view” he says, sliding his fingers out as he unbuckles his belt. His eyes never leaving mine. He slides his pants and boxers down, revealing his already rock hard member. I kiss him sloppily as I slide down on him. We both groan, instantly getting into our own little rhythm.

“Ohh shit” he stuttered, throwing his head back. I grab onto his shoulders and grind down on him. He grabs my waist and drives straight to my spot. The sounds of our love making over powering the music playing. 

“Talk to me baby” he pants, slapping my ass.

“Fuckk you feel soo good papa” I moan out girlishly.

“Yeah? You like the way im fucking you baby?” 

“Oh shitt YES!” I scream, feeling an orgasm brewing. My walls contract around his member in my attempt to hold back my orgasm. I spin around on him reverse cowgirl and start to bounce up and down on him.

“Shit, I'm about to give you another baby” He says lowly, placing kisses down my spine and wrapping one hand around my neck. I look back at him in a seductive gaze “Give it to me papa”. 

I could see all the love in his eyes as we released in sync. Quiet I love yous leave our lips as we both come down from our high. 

“I hope you know i'm not done with you yet”....

[jazziejax]

𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭?

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - Kadeem ‘Unique’ Mathis x Black!OC

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - Not one sort of relationship was perfect. Couples fought, friends argued, and it sometimes got physical in two different sort of ways…but whatever the relationship was between Unique and Mo’nique was far more complex considering they weren’t friends, far from a couple and she technically was taking care of him free of charge. But is that really it?

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - cursing, mental episodes, nudity, injuries, and that all I can think of rn…let me know if I missed anything please!

𝐉𝐚𝐳𝐳𝐢𝐞’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 - I know it’s been a minute but this last semester is no. joke. I have been getting my ass lived with this classes and exams, but it’s all working out because ya sista is passing!!! I know yall want an update with everything else I have sitting around, AND ITS ALL COMING SOON!!! Just give me till May for consistency, I beg!!!! Also, I’ve been thinking about writing something for Kelvin’s character ‘Euri’ in O’Dessa…let me know if yall want that because I love a lil fruity man that gets freaky. I watched challengers!

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 - 16,542+

Unique was already awake.

Had been for the past few minutes, caught somewhere between sleep and something else entirely. His eyes were half-lidded, his head tilted just enough to catch the way the morning light cast a soft glow over her features.

Mo’nique was still asleep, completely unaware of the way she had curled into him sometime during the night. Of the way, her fingers had brushed against his ribs, light and unconscious, before settling again. Of the way her breath, warm and even, ghosted against his shirt.

He had woken up expecting pain, the same dull, throbbing ache that had been his companion since that night. But this? This was different. His body still hurt only a bit, but his mind… his mind was quiet. For the first time in longer than he cared to admit, the weight pressing on his chest wasn’t unbearable.

He wasn’t thinking about revenge. Wasn’t thinking about Ronnie.

He was just here in the present. Something he hasn’t been able to do in a long, long time. And he wasn’t quite sure what to do with that.

His arm shifted slightly, fingers flexing like he wanted to move, to break whatever the hell this was before she woke up and made it something more real than it had to be. But something in him stopped. Something deep in his chest, something that he hadn’t let himself feel in a long time.

He let out a slow breath, eyes flickering to the clock.

Mo’nique would wake up soon. And then what? She’d pull away. Crack a joke. Or would she say nothing at all and act like none of this ever happened? And maybe that was for the best.

Still, when she stirred, a quiet hum slipping from her lips as she nestled just a little closer, Unique found himself hesitating. Because for the first time in what felt like forever, he didn’t want to let go.

But whatever he was feeling was soon to be over.

The first thing Mo’nique felt was warmth. Not the kind that came from blankets or the sluggish heat of a room in the morning, but something solid. Her mind was slow to wake, drifting somewhere between sleep and consciousness, clinging to the last remnants of rest. She felt the steady rise and fall beneath her, the slow, rhythmic movement of breath. Her fingers twitched, grazing soft fabric, and that was when it hit her.

She wasn’t alone.

Her eyes fluttered open, hazy with sleep, and the first thing she saw was black fabric stretched over firm muscle. It took her a second to register what—who—she was lying on. But once it did, awareness shot through her like a live wire.

Unique.

She was still pressed against him.

Her body tensed, her breath catching in her throat as reality settled over her like a heavyweight. Sometime in the night, she had moved closer. Or maybe he had? Either way, she was tucked against him, her cheek resting against his chest, his scent lingering on the fabric of the shirt she’d given him.

And worse? His arm—his damn arm—was close. Close enough that it might as well have been wrapped around her.

She should move. She should definitely move.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she lay there, her mind scrambling for an explanation, an excuse—anything—to make sense of how the hell she had ended up like this. She didn’t sleep like this, this well. Not with other people, even back when she had the chance to. She would always wake up in the middle of the night, sometimes multiple times.

But… she had slept this time. And she had slept well.

That realization made her stomach twist a bit.

Slowly, carefully, she tilted her head back, just enough to get a glimpse of Unique’s face. His eyes were still shut, his breathing slow, his other hand placed on his chest that rose and fell with every breath. Her pulse seemed to kick up, heat creeping up her neck as she looked at his resting face.

If I moved now, maybe I could act like this never happened, she thought. Maybe he’d keep his eyes closed and let her slip away without a word. So

Mo’nique sucked in a slow breath, forcing her body to move. Carefully, she peeled herself away from Unique���s warmth, taking extra care not to jostle him too much. The last thing she needed was to lock eyes with him after waking up damn near wrapped around each other.

The air outside the blankets was colder than she expected, making her skin prickle as she sat up, trying to fight back a violent shiver. She rubbed a hand over her face, still groggy but determined to shake it off. Her stomach gave a low, impatient growl, reminding her exactly what she needed to do next.

Breakfast.

She glanced over her shoulder. Unique was still lying there, eyes closed, but she wasn’t sure if he was fully asleep or if he was just pretending. Either way, she wasn’t about to stick around to find out. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she padded out of the room and towards the kitchen, scratching at her shirt curls through her scarf as she went. The apartment was quiet, save for the soft hum of the fridge when she opened it.

As Mo’nique moved through the kitchen, focusing on getting breakfast together, she tried—tried—to push down the thoughts that had been lingering in the back of her mind ever since she woke up tangled against Unique.

Because what the hell was that?

She could still feel the warmth of his body against hers, the way her face had been pressed into his side like she belonged there. And worse? She had let herself stay. Just for a little while. Long enough to soak in the comfort, to let herself feel…the security it brought her.

That was the part that messed with her the most. It felt safe…and comfortable.

She hadn’t felt that way in a long time—not in a bed, not in the presence of a man, not in any situation where her guard was down and she was in one of her most vulnerable positions. But lying against him, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest, the weight of his arm resting close, it had been so damn easy to just… let it happen.

She stirred the waffle batter a little too aggressively, jaw clenching as she forced herself to focus. It didn’t mean anything, she thought. They were just tired. It was cold. She had gotten comfortable—that was all.

But that tiny, treacherous part of her whispered back, Then why did you hesitate to get up?

She shook her head and reached for the waffle iron, pouring in the batter. Doesn’t matter. She had bigger things to worry about than how good it had felt to sleep beside Unique.

Instead, she put her energy into breakfast, pouring herself into the simple, steady motions of cooking. Eggs, bacon, waffles. Things she could control. Because whatever that was between them moments ago? That was something she absolutely could not.

And Unique was having a similar conversation with himself about it all in her bedroom. The moment Mo’nique stepped out of the room, Unique let out a slow exhale, a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, cracking his eyes open fully. He had been awake for a little while now, but he wasn’t in any rush to move. His body still felt like it had been through the wringer—because it had—and the comfort of the bed, the lingering warmth where Mo’nique had been, was too good to shake off just yet.

From the other room, he could hear the faint sounds of cooking—bacon sizzling, the rhythmic scrape of a whisk against a bowl. The smell of it drifted into the room, rich and warm, making his stomach stir with hunger.

He lay there, one arm draped over his forehead, letting himself soak in the rare feeling of not being in a rush to move, of not having to constantly be on guard. But moments later, when he heard the soft padding of her footsteps approaching again, he cracked his eyes open in time to see Mo’nique stepping back into the room, eyeing him with that sharp, assessing look of hers.

“You gotta use the bathroom?” She asked, arms crossing as she leaned against the door banister.

Unique gave a slow shake of his head, his gaze lingering on her a little longer than necessary. She was still in the clothes she slept in, her hair slightly tousled from sleep, but she looked… at ease.

She caught that look in his eye, paused for a beat, then just nodded before asking, “You hungry?”

This time, he nodded.

Another small nod from her, this one tighter, before she pursed her lips and turned to head back to the kitchen. Unique huffed out a quiet breath, watching her go. He still didn’t say much, letting the silence settle between them as she moved around the kitchen. But when she finally returned, balancing a plate in one hand, he let a smirk pull at the corner of his mouth.

“Ain’t this some shit? You buttering me up now?”

Mo’nique gave him a flat look before shoving the plate toward him.

“Nigga, shut up and eat.” She said before walking back out and gathering her food. She came back with a plate and sat herself back in the chair from last night. She didn’t even look his way as she cooked, the television on in her room and began eating.

They ate in silence for a while, the only sounds coming from the soft hum of the television and the quiet clink of utensils against their plates. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air played on the screen, Will cracking jokes as the laugh track echoed through the room.

Mo’nique sat cross-legged in the chair, her plate balanced in her lap, stealing glances at Unique between bites. He was leaned back against the headboard, eating slowly, clearly enjoying the meal more than he let on.

After a few moments, she spoke, her voice casual but pointed. “You know, I don’t usually allow eating in my room.”

A slow smirk made its way onto Unique’s, barely glancing up from his plate as he took another bite of waffle. “That so?” He hummed.

“Mmhm.” She speared a piece of bacon with her fork, chewing thoughtfully. “Only reason I let it slide this time is ‘cause you half-dead.” She said.

Unique let out a low and breathy chuckle since it hurt to laugh, shaking his head. “Damn. A nigga sorta on his deathbed, and you still got rules.”

“Damn right.” She shot him a look, but there was no real heat behind it. If anything, the corners of her lips twitched like she was holding back a smile, her brows raised a bit as she stared at him. Unique just hummed, taking another bite before glancing at her again. “So what, I’m supposed to be honored or some shit?” He asked with a small shrug.

Mo’nique rolled her eyes, finally giving in to the small smirk tugging at her lips. “Nah. Just don’t get used to it.”

Unique licked his lips, watching her for a moment longer before turning his attention back to the TV. He then hummed with a nod, acknowledging her suggestion.

They sat there and fished their food, Mo’nique taking their plates into the kitchen and placing them into the sink. She let out a sigh as she moved back to the room. She leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, her gaze steady as she took in the man sprawled out on her bed. Unique had settled back against the pillows, one arm draped lazily over his torso, looking more at ease than he had any right to be. His eyes drifted over to when she lingered.

“What?” He asked, his voice low and scratchy, eyes flicking over to meet hers.

She tilted her head slightly, pressing her lips together before speaking. “You know, you’ve been here two, three days now.”

He blinked. “Yeah?” He shifted slightly, wincing at the soreness still settled deep in his muscles. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this, but the idea of her kicking him out did quickly cross his mind. And he hated how his heart damn near dropped at the thought. A sliver of something unsettling—something like hopelessness—crept in before he could shove it away.

Mo’nique sighed, her fingers tightening against her arms as she exhaled through her nose. “It’s time to take a bath, Nique.”

And that—that—he didn’t know how to react to.

For a moment, he just stared at her, processing. Of all the things she could’ve said, that wasn’t even on his radar. His lips parted slightly, brows furrowing as if he had misheard her. “What?” He questioned, making sure he heard her correctly.

She gave him a pointed look. “You need to clean up. I know you hurt, but you not that hurt. Paralyzed people take baths.”

Unique blinked, then scoffed, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips as he propped himself up on an elbow. “So you tryna say I stink?” He questioned.

Mo’nique rolled her eyes. “I’m saying you've been in about two different spots, same sort of clothes, for damn near three days. So yeah, it’s time.”

Unique let his head fall back against the pillows, exhaling through his nose. “Man…”

“No man.” She cut in, pushing off the doorway. “You gon’ get up, and I’ll help you if you need it, but I ain’t lettin’ you just lay here and rot.”

He eyed her carefully, the teasing glint in his eyes dimming just a little. There was something else in her tone, something that made his chest feel tight. She wasn’t saying this to mess with him—she was saying it because she gave a damn. She cared. And that… well, that did little something to him in his chest.

After a long pause, he finally sighed. “Aight, fine.”

Mo’nique raised an eyebrow. “Fine?”

“Yeah, fine.” He muttered, reluctantly and stiffly swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “Damn. You real bossy, you know that?” He chucked out, feeling the aching pain he had in his sides.

Mo’nique smirked. “And you real hard-headed. Now come on.” She said, McIntosh over to him. Unique shook his head, but he didn’t argue. Didn’t push back.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Mo’nique hadn’t really thought this through past the point of telling Unique to get up.

Because now, standing in the small, slightly humid bathroom, she realized how… intimate this was about to be. And when she turned to look at Unique, sitting on the closed toilet lid, watching her with that lazy, unreadable expression, she could tell he was thinking the same thing.

“You just gon’ stand there all day, or you actually gon’ help?” His voice was teasing, but there was an edge to it, like he wasn’t entirely sure how to navigate this either.

She exhaled through her nose and ignored the way heat crept up the back of her neck. “Shut up.” She mumbled. He huffed out a quiet laugh but didn’t say anything else as she turned the faucet, letting the tub fill. The water ran hot, steam curling into the air, and she poured in a little body wash, watching the bubbles rise.

“You got a preference?” She asked, nodding toward the shelf of soaps and shampoos she had on a metal rack in the shower.

Unique pursed her lips, cocking his head at her. “I look like I got a preference?” He asked, furrowing his brows at her.

Mo’nique rolled her eyes at his sassy attitude and grabbed what she usually used, setting everything within reach before turning back to him. The playful glint in his eye had dulled a little, his jaw set as he stared at the water. He looked tense, and for a second, she wondered if he was actually uncomfortable with all this. “Hey.” Her voice was quieter now. Softer. “You good?” She asked.

Unique blinked, snapping out of whatever thought had momentarily taken him. His eyes flickered to hers, and then he nodded, though the motion was slow. “Yeah.” He murmured, then cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Mo’nique wasn’t sure she fully believed him, but she didn’t push. Instead, she moved to help him undress, starting with his shirt. She hesitated for only a second before carefully peeling the fabric away from his body. He winced, sucking in a sharp breath as the movement aggravated his bruises, and Mo’nique bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to react to just how bad they still looked. Dark patches covered his ribs, his stomach, his arms—evidence of everything he had been through before he ended up here.

“Sorry,” She murmured, fingers barely brushing against his skin as she pulled the shirt off completely.

He shook his head. “It ain’t your fault, you’re cool.”

She nodded, then crouched to pull off his socks before moving to his sweats. He didn’t say anything as she slid them down his legs, didn’t make a single smart remark, which only made her more aware of the shift in the air between them. She didn’t even offer an inappropriate glance at his junk. Once he was undressed, Mo’nique reached for his arm. “Come on.”

He moved stiffly, but with her help, he stepped into the tub, the woman helping him lower himself carefully into the water with a quiet grunt. The heat must’ve soothed him at least a little because she saw his shoulders relax, his head tipping back against the edge of the tub as he let out a long breath.

“Good?”She asked, sitting on the closed toilet lid.

“Mmhmm,” He hummed, eyes half-lidded, the tension in his face slowly easing. She nodded at that, letting out a subtle him with her eyes still locked on his resting form. She let him soak for a moment before wetting a washcloth and lathering it with soap. “Alright, lean up.” She said

He cracked one eye open. “You gon’ wash me too?” He asked, and even though he was sort of guarded when it came to the thought, the idea of it did make him want to smirk a little. Maybe under completely different circumstances.

Mo’nique gave him a dry look. “You want me to?” She asked, quirking a brow at him.

Something flickered in his gaze at that, something unreadable, but after a beat, he simply leaned forward. She blinked at him before she began working methodically, her hands gentle but firm as she ran the cloth over his back, across his shoulders, and down his arms. She was careful around his ribs, making sure not to press too hard, but even still, she could feel the way his body tensed beneath her touch.

“Relax.” She murmured.

Unique let out a quiet but tense chuckle, shaking his head. “Ain’t used to this, that’s all.” He said, trying to ease the uncomfortableness he felt. Mo’nique didn’t say anything to that, just kept going, moving to his chest. When her fingers brushed against a particularly dark bruise, she hesitated. She didn’t want to press down too hard, but the dark spot against his deep skin didn’t look too good. At her pause, Unique looked at her. “You gon’ ask?” He muttered, before closing his eyes once again.

Mo’nique’s lips pressed together. She knew what he meant. “Do you want me to?” She questioned as she continued.

He was quiet for a moment. Then, he shook his head. “Nah.”

She nodded, even though he couldn’t see it. She ran the cloth down his stomach, over the planes of his torso, then dipped it into the water to rinse before handing it to him.

“You got the rest?” She asked softly, and she was hoping he would say yes because even though she was a professional at this, she didn’t know if she could handle all that just yet. Especially since she was still struggling with trying to surpass the thoughts from this morning.

Unique took the cloth, his fingers brushing against hers briefly. “Yeah.” He muttered.

Mo’nique stood, grabbing a large towel from the shelf and setting it on the counter. “I’ll be in the room if you need help getting out.” She said before turning to leave the room. Unique tilted his head slightly, looking up at her with something almost unreadable in his expression.

“Mo’nique.” He called just as she was stepping out.

She turned back to him “Yeah?”He held her gaze for a second before blinking and shaking his head, smirking faintly. “Nothin’. Just… thanks.”

Mo’nique didn’t know what to say to that, so she just nodded and slipped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. And Unique watched the door for a long time after she left. His body was still tense, despite the warmth of the water. Despite the way, his muscles should’ve been relaxing. Though he thought he felt a noticeable decline in temperature when she left the room.

He leaned his head back against the edge of the tub, closing his eyes as he thought. Mo’nique wasn’t like the women he usually dealt with. She wasn’t falling over herself, eager to do things for him, but she also wasn’t that distant. She knew when to press and when to leave things alone. She told just enough to make him feel comfortable. She knew when to hold his gaze and when to look away.

And the way she had touched him… carefully, deliberately, without a trace of pity as she washed away more than just the grime. That shit messed with him. Because he knew what pity looked like. He had seen it in the eyes of plenty of people before. It had been years since he felt it in the way people used to handle him when Ronnie was still around like he was something fragile. He hated that shit.

But Mo’nique? She didn’t look at him like that. She didn’t treat him like something broken, even though this was all she knew. The beaten version of himself.

And maybe that’s why, for the first time in a long time, he actually felt something settle inside him. Something he didn’t quite have a name for yet.

He ran a wet hand down his face, shaking his head.

He needed to get a grip.

Because whatever this was, whatever she was doing to him— He wasn’t sure if he was ready for it.

Mo’nique was facing a similar internal conflict. She had closed the door behind her and exhaled, her back pressing against the wood as she stared at the floor. She hadn’t realized how much she had been holding her breath until now.

Her hands twitched at her sides, still warm from the hot water and touching him. From washing over his skin and feeling the tension coiled in his muscles. It was one thing to know he was hurt, to see the bruises peeking from beneath his clothes. But touching them? Feeling the dips and ridges of his pain? That was different. And it didn’t help that the attractive man had the body to match.

She ran a hand down her face, pushing away the thoughts that tried to creep in—the ones that told her that she shouldn’t care and that she had no business feeling anything about this man the way she did.

This morning, she had damn near woken up in his arms but wanted to fight him only yesterday. Hell, she had fought him. And now she was in there… washing his back, checking on him, feeling something she didn’t even want to name.

She couldn’t help but think of the way his body had been tense at first, but how it had relaxed once he settled into the tub. The way he hadn’t protested when she touched him, even though she knew he must’ve been uncomfortable from the bruises. His quiet moments. The strange, almost vulnerable look in his eyes when he thanked her.

Her body still felt warm from the proximity, from the way his eyes had lingered on her before she left. He had almost said something—she could feel it in the pause before he shook his head and that smirk slid into place like a shield. Mo’nique swallowed, taking another deep breath.

She wasn’t stupid. Unique was charming. He knew how to reel people in, how to make them feel special, even when they weren’t supposed to be. And yet…

She suddenly pushed off the door, shaking her head at herself as she moved toward the bed in the room. She wasn’t doing this. She wasn’t going to sit here and overanalyze something that wasn’t supposed to mean anything.

Because that’s all it was, right? It wasn’t supposed to mean anything….So why did it feel like it did?

Mo’nique just sat in the bed, arms crossed, as she listened to the sounds of the water splashing softly in the bathroom. Her mind buzzed with the strange shift she felt between herself and Unique, but she tried not to overthink it.

Helping Unique bathe hadn’t been as strange as she thought it might be, but now, the silence felt different. He was in there, and she was out here, and somehow the line between her role as someone helping him and something else was starting to blur. She couldn’t shake the feeling that things were shifting between them, and that shift made her heart beat just a little faster. The warmth of the moment was still lingering in the air, but it was a strange kind of warmth—one that didn’t just come from the hot water.

Her fingers tapped lightly on her arm, her thoughts drifting in and out of focus on the television screen. She didn’t mind helping him, but something about the whole situation now felt different. Everything had been different since yesterday and this morning didn’t make it any better. The tension between them had been building ever since he showed up at her place, and now it was hard to ignore.

This is all my fault, she thought.

The sound of the water finally stopped, and the silence hung thick in the air. She hesitated for a moment before pushing herself up from the bed and walking toward the bathroom. She knocked softly this time, hearing a muffled sound before she opened the door slowly, her eyes landing on him in the tub.

He was sitting there, leaning back, his eyes closed for a second before they fluttered open when he sensed her presence. Mo’nique could see him trying to steady himself, but he was visibly sore. His muscles were tense, his body battered from the bruises and the trauma, but he wasn’t about to show weakness.

“Need a hand getting out?” Mo’nique asked, her voice steady but not unkind. There was no hesitation in her movement as she took a step into the bathroom, her hands resting on her hips.

Unique’s eyes flicked up to hers, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I got it, Mo’nique. I ain’t that helpless.”

She didn’t reply right away. Instead, she watched him for a moment, trying to gauge if he could manage on his own. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel like a burden, but at the same time, she didn’t want him pushing himself too hard.

The silence stretched between them before she finally sighed, her voice a little softer. “No, you don’t. I can see that. You’re hurting, Nique.”

He scowled, but she didn’t back down. “Fine.” He muttered, his smirk turning into something more resigned. He looked down at the water, clearly not thrilled about being helped. “Just make it quick.”

Mo’nique moved in close without hesitation. She reached for the towel she had already set out for him, draping it over her shoulder before offering her hand to him. He met her gaze again, this time with something unreadable in his eyes, but he accepted her help.

She bent slightly to grab his arm and carefully assisted him as he stood up. His body was heavy with exhaustion and pain, and she could feel his muscles strain under her touch. She kept a firm grip on him, helping him steady himself, and though he didn’t complain, she could tell he appreciated the support.

When he finally stood, she handed him the towel, the rough fabric brushing against his skin. He wrapped it around his waist, but his eyes never left her. She couldn’t quite read him, but there was something about the way he looked at her that made her heart skip a beat.

“You good?” She asked, more out of instinct than anything, watching him carefully.

He nodded, though his eyes were still slightly clouded with the discomfort he was feeling. “Yeah. Just… a little sore. I’ll be fine.”

She nodded in return. “I know you will be.” She said, her voice softer now. “But you don’t have to do it all alone, Nique. You’ve got me.” She said, looking up at him. She then blinked once she heard what her words sounded like. “I mean, that’s what you’re here for. It’s my job.” She shrugged to let off some of the nerves she was feeling. Unique was quiet for a long moment, his gaze locked with hers. “Yeah.” He finally murmured, his voice lower than usual. “Guess I do.” She nodded.

Mo’nique then helped him slowly walk toward the bedroom, careful not to jostle him too much. He wasn’t exactly in the best shape, but she could see the effort he was putting in. She guided him over to the bed, letting him sit down as he exhaled a long, tired breath.

She took in a slow breath as she looked at him, sitting there on the edge of the bed, towel wrapped loosely around his waist. His skin was still damp, his body tense even though exhaustion weighed heavily in his posture. She could feel the heat radiating off him, the scent of soap and warm water lingering in the air between them. She then swallowed, glancing over at the clothes she had laid out for him. “Alright.” She said, forcing some distance between them now. Mo’nique grabbed the hoodie from the chair and stepped in front of him. Unique watched her without a word, his gaze steady, unreadable. He sat on the edge of the bed, legs spread, hands resting on his thighs. He didn’t move, didn’t speak—just watched her.

She didn’t let herself hesitate. “Arms.” She said, holding the hoodie open.

He lifted them, letting her guide the blue fabric over his head. Her fingers brushed against his neck as she pulled it down, the heat of his skin lingering even after she let go. He adjusted the sleeves, rolling his shoulders slightly, but his eyes never left her.

She reached for the sweatpants next, kneeling to slide them up his legs. He lifted his hips just enough for her to pull them and the underwear into place. The air between them was heavy, thick with something neither of them named.

Once he was dressed, she grabbed the first-aid kit from the nightstand and sat beside him. The cut on his face had dried, but it still looked raw. She ripped open an alcohol pad, fanning it out before reaching up to touch his jaw. He didn’t flinch, but his body went still.

“This might sting.” She murmured.

A slow exhale left his nose. “Go ahead.”

She dabbed at the wound, careful but firm. His jaw tensed beneath her fingers. He was close—close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath, see the way his lashes flickered as she worked.

“You should be more careful.” She said quietly, pressing the cloth against his skin.

He huffed out something like a laugh. “Shit happens.” He hissed out through the stinging.

She didn’t respond, just kept cleaning the wound, her touch lingering longer than it needed to. The silence stretched between them, thick and charged.

After a moment, he spoke again. “You take care of people like this before?” He suddenly asked, his eyes locked on her brown ones that were focused on his scar. She paused at that, meeting his gaze. “No.” She said firmly. And his eyes darkened, something unreadable passing through them. But he didn’t push.

She finished by applying the ointment, her fingers featherlight against his skin. When she pulled back, her touch lingered for just a second longer than necessary.

“You done?” He asked, his voice low.

Mo’nique let out a slow breath, standing up. “For now.” She said. And with that, Mo’nique felt the tension shift again, heavier now. She didn’t know what the hell was going on between them, but she knew one thing for sure—it wasn’t going to be easy figuring it out. Now, it was time for her. She found herself standing in the bathroom, glancing at the mirror as she caught sight of herself, still a little damp from the close contact with Unique. The morning had already been a strange mix of routine and something… unexpected. She had taken care of him, helped him out of the tub, and made him breakfast—things she didn’t usually do for anyone, and yet it had felt natural.

The bathroom seemed colder somehow, the steam of the previous bath water barely escaping from the shower. She stared at the closed curtain, the sense of quiet anticipation building. Mo’nique wasn’t used to being the one who needed help, but today, with everything that had happened, she could feel the tension and exhaustion settling in her body. It had been a while since she’d felt so off balance.

She slipped off her clothes before moving to turn the shower on. She adjusted the temperature to something comfortably warm, then let the water stream down. As the water started to fill the air with a soft mist, she stepped in, closing the curtain behind her. She let out a long, slow breath, allowing herself to relax as the warmth enveloped her.

She closed her eyes, her mind wandering for a moment, her wet fingers running over her face. The scent of her body wash—vanilla, light and calming—mixed with the steam, and for a while, she let herself forget about everything. The world outside the bathroom, the responsibilities of the day, and the weight of whatever lingering thoughts she began to feel between her and Unique—they all felt distant as the water washed over her skin.

But soon enough, she felt the creeping need to hurry. She didn’t want to linger too long in here. She scrubbed her skin, each movement methodical, allowing the steam to lift the tension from her muscles. Part of her was still trying to figure out why she was doing all of this. Unique didn’t ask for her help; she had just given it, almost instinctively, after seeing the star of his injuries when her cousin dropped him off. But that couldn’t have been all that it was. She always told Earl off for his stupid and scamming ways while now she was doing free labor for a fully grown stranger.

Maybe it was just him… or maybe it was the way he seemed so comfortable and had gotten under her skin without even trying.

Mo’nique finished up her shower quickly, not wanting to overthink it. She turned the water off and stepped out, grabbing the towel she had left within easy reach. As she dried off, she glanced at her reflection in the fogged-up mirror. For a moment, her thoughts paused. She looked…not tried? And that was new for her. Her light eye bags were still but she had a fair glow to her skin that wasn’t usually there.

She wrapped the towel around her body and opened the bathroom door. As she stepped back into her bedroom, she saw Unique lying on her bed, looking at the ceiling with his hands behind his head, lost in thought. The soft hum of the television show playing in the background gave the room a quiet, almost domestic feel.

Mo’nique couldn’t help but feel a brief moment of uncertainty, but she brushed it off. As Monique stepped into the room, the only thing covering her was a towel wrapped snugly around her body, damp from her shower. The scent of her vanilla and coconut-scented body wash lingered in the air as steam followed her in. Unique, who had been casually lounging on the bed, glanced up—and immediately froze.

His eyes flickered over her, taking in the sight before him, his usual confident demeanor momentarily faltering. He hadn’t expected her to walk in like that, not without warning. His lips parted slightly as if he was about to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he dragged his tongue across his teeth, letting his gaze linger for a moment longer than necessary before looking away, masking whatever thoughts ran through his head.

Monique, completely unfazed or perhaps just pretending not to notice, walked past him toward the dresser, grabbing a bottle of lotion. She poured some into her palm, rubbing it into the exposed skin of her arms and chest, her movements slow and deliberate—but not intentionally seductive. It was just the way she moved, effortlessly drawing attention without trying.

Unique shifted in his seat, exhaling through his nose as he shook his head slightly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Damn.” He muttered under his breath, more to himself than to her.

Monique glanced over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. “What?” She asked, quirking a brow at him.

Unique then leaned up, resting on his elbows. “Nothin’.” His voice was casual, but there was something else underneath it—something unspoken as his eyes quickly took in her figure before moving elsewhere.

She held his gaze for a second before turning back to what she was doing, acting as if the weight of his stare wasn’t still pressing against her. She didn’t respond, just shook her head before she reached for the clothes she had set on top of the dresser earlier. The towel remained wrapped securely around her, but the way she moved—unbothered, completely at ease in his presence—made Unique’s jaw tighten just a little.

She gathered her things—a cut-off crew neck and a pair of fitted leggings—before heading back toward the bathroom. Unique’s eyes followed her, but he didn’t say a word. He just let his gaze linger, dragging over her bare shoulders, down to the curve of her thighs before she disappeared behind the door.

Once she was out of sight, he exhaled sharply, shaking his head to himself. She knew exactly what she was doing, whether she wanted to admit it or not. She had to! He thought.

A few minutes passed before Monique emerged again, this time fully dressed, her sweater hanging off one of her shoulders to show her bra strap while her black tights hugged her thick thighs and her cute curls were out. She padded barefoot across the room, the smell of cocoa butter clinging to her skin.

Unique was still in the same spot, this time leaning back on the bed with one arm propped behind his head. He looked her up and down, slower this time as if assessing something. “I appreciate it,” He suddenly spoke up quietly, his voice uncharacteristically soft. Mo’njque turned to him at the sound of his voice. “I know I ain’t made it easy these past couple days.” He mumbled.

She didn’t know how to respond to that. The words sat on her tongue as she blinked, but none of them felt right. Instead, she just nodded, the movement stiff, and smiled faintly. “Just don’t make me regret it.” She quipped anything to make him feel less like shit.

He grinned at that, a flash of that cocky smirk she had become familiar with making its way across his lips. “Nah, I won’t. But don’t think I’m gonna start letting you play nurse every time something goes wrong, though.”

Mo’nique rolled her eyes. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do. I’m the nurse here, Unique.” She sassed, tilting her head at him as she looked him in the eye.

But there was something in the way he looked at her now—something different than before. Less guarded, but still cautious. For the first time in days, it felt like they were both trying to figure out the space they occupied in each other’s lives.

“Alright, whatever,” Unique said, lying against the bed, looking out the window above the headboard. Mo’nique stayed where she was, leaning back against her dresser, watching as he got caught in her own thoughts as the sun shined down on him. Neither of them spoke again until he seemed to snap out of it, letting out a small sigh, and when he finally turned to face her, something about the air between them felt different.

Not better, not worse. Just… different.

“So.” He said, shoving his hands in his pockets.” What now? You got plans today?”

Mo’nique glanced at the clock, realizing it was almost past noon. “Actually.” She said slowly, rising from the dresser, “It’s my off day. It’s why I slept in so late.“ she shrugged. She then eased her way over to the door, her arms crossed. “And I’m glad you asked because now it’s time to move. Come on, we’re going to the living room.” She said, her voice calm but firm.

Unique didn’t immediately budge. He sat there for a few seconds, the bed creaking under his weight, as he looked at her like she had just asked him to run a marathon. There was reluctance in his eyes, his muscles still sore from the last couple of days of recovery. Finally, with a deep sigh, he slowly pushed himself up to sit at the edge of the bed.

Mo’nique watched him for a moment, her patience wearing thin. When he didn’t make any further effort, she cocked an eyebrow and glanced at him. “Come on.” She urged, jerking her head towards the open door, her arms outstretched as if beckoning him like a baby.

He stared at her, a mix of disbelief and exhaustion in his gaze. “What? You’re not gonna help?” He asked, his tone a little dry.

“No.” She replied flatly, her voice matching the playful annoyance she always managed to carry so easily.

Unique let out a frustrated grunt, his hand gripping the edge of the bed as if it were the only thing keeping him steady. “First you don’t want me moving on my own and now you’re forcing me? What’s wrong with you, B?” He asked, scrunching his face up at her.

Mo’nique gave him an amused look as she looked down at him. “You gotta take it one step at a time, B.” She said, not even trying to hide how his annoyance was making her grin as she relayed his slang. “Baby steps.” She teased. “It’s called rehab, man. I know you’ve heard of it. Now ease up and walk from the bed to the door.” She motioned toward the door as if it were some grand distance to cross.

The corner of Unique’s mouth twitched, a reluctant grin playing at the edge of his lips, even as he felt the ache in his limbs and irritation gnawing at his brain. Slowly, carefully, he pushed himself to his feet. He was still a little stiff, and still sore, but there was no denying the way her eyes were on him, making him feel like he had no choice but to comply.

With a grunt, he took a slow, measured step toward the door. Each movement was labored, his body protesting, but there was something about her unspoken challenge that kept him moving. The whole process felt ridiculous, but at the same time, he couldn’t help the way a small sense of accomplishment settled in when he finally stood at the doorframe, looking down at Mo’nique, who hadn’t moved from her spot.

She gave him a nod of approval. “See? Told you. One step at a time.” She smiled up at him. Unique rolled his eyes, trying to hide the slight pride he felt in the accomplishment. “Yeah, whatever man.“

“Now, let’s get you to the living room.” She added with a grin as if the hardest part was already over. With a sly look, she nudged her chin toward the couch outside. “Come on, I’ll even let you have the remote.”

“Damn.” He muttered, more to himself than to her, but she was already walking toward the living room. A small smile tugged at his lips as he moved, and though he was still sore, there was something oddly comforting about the way she was guiding him—slowly but surely—into a rhythm.

As they reached the living room, Mo’nique helped him down before he moved to flick open the curtains, allowing the sunlight to spill into the space and fill the room with warmth. “It’s good for healing.” She said as she settled onto the couch, smoothing out a blanket and pulling it over her lap. She looked over at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to say something.

He simply slouched into the couch with a sigh before reaching for the remote. It felt strange, this new pace of life they were setting, but with her help, he was starting to feel a little more human again.

Mo’nique, with her usual ease, grabbed a Hulk Marvel comic from a stack under the first layer of the glass coffee table and flipped it open, her attention quickly shifting to the colorful pages. For a while, the two sat in comfortable silence, the sound of the television humming in the background as the weight of the world seemed just a little lighter at this moment.

Unique, however, lazily flipped through channels without much intention. Mo’nique glanced up from her comic, her attention divided. She knew he was trying to find something decent to watch, but he seemed more interested in aimless channel surfing than anything else.

A few minutes passed, and then, as if by some cosmic alignment, he stopped flipping and landed on a familiar tune. The theme song of The Nanny filled the air—bouncy and cheerful, its catchy beat making Mo’nique’s ears perk up. She let out a small gasp of excitement, her eyes lighting up as she glanced up at the screen.

“No way!” She grinned, sitting up a little straighter, completely abandoning her comic. “I love this show!”

Without thinking, she began humming along to the theme song, her voice matching the rhythm. Unique shot her a side-eye, taken aback by her uncharacteristically cheerful mood. His expression was unreadable, a mix of indifference and curiosity. “Really?” He muttered, clearly unimpressed by the sudden burst of enthusiasm.

But Mo’nique couldn’t help herself. The Nanny was one of those shows that always lifted her spirits. The way Fran Drescher’s voice bounced off the walls, the ridiculous antics of the characters—it was her kind of comfort TV. Not as good as Living Single, but it was nice. She mainly liked how Fran dressed.

And for all his cool-guy front, Unique was soon getting pulled into the magic of the show. He was trying not to look too interested, sitting back with his arms folded, but it was obvious that his eyes were glued to the screen. He couldn’t help it. The wit of the characters, the pure absurdity of the plotlines, it all tugged at him in ways he wasn’t expecting. His initial indifference started to crumble.

Mo’nique noticed it, though she didn’t acknowledge it right away. She just let herself enjoy the show, occasionally humming along or making little comments about the plot as she sipped her coffee.

Unique cleared his throat, shifting in his seat, still trying to act cool. “You know, this show is kinda… entertaining.” He admitted, his tone almost sheepish. It was rare for him to admit when something amused him, but today felt different. Mo’nique’s easygoing nature, her enjoyment of the little things, made everything seem lighter. He was starting to appreciate the weirdness of The Nanny too.

She smirked, raising an eyebrow. “I told you,” she said, nudging him with her shoulder as the show continued. “The Nanny is the shit.” She cheesed. “Ooo, you have to watch Living Single too. Love that show.” She mumbled to him, trying not to speak over the television and disrupt his watching experience, and she never once took her eyes off the screen. Unique just gave her a sidelong glance, not saying much more, but his lips twitched into a small, reluctant smile. She’d caught him. Caught him enjoying a show he probably never thought he’d watch.

The episode of The Nanny ended with the familiar jingle of the closing credits, and Mo’nique wasted no time snatching up the remote, flipping through channels with a lazy sort of interest. Meanwhile, Unique had gotten comfortable, sifting through the stack of comics she had pulled out for herself, but they soon caught his interest. He wasn’t much of a comic book dude, but something about seeing them neatly organized in her collection made him curious. He flipped through a few pages of The Incredible Hulk, catching glimpses of intense battle sequences and inner monologues.

It all felt oddly domestic, the two of them sitting on the couch, a blanket between them, the glow of the TV filling the room with warmth. Mo’nique didn’t think much about it—she was content, just sitting there, the weight of the world feeling a little lighter. Maybe it was the sun streaming through the windows, maybe it was the comfort of the moment, or maybe it was the quiet company they’d found in each other over the past few days.

Then, the shrill ring of the phone cut through the room.

Before Unique even thought about it, Mo’nique was already moving. She barely hesitated before leaning across him, her body nearly brushing against his as she reached for the phone sitting on the side table. His eyes followed her instinctively, the closeness catching him off guard.

Her scent—warm, familiar, and sweet, that same cinnamon and vanilla, with something else he couldn’t quite place—filled his nose as she brought the receiver to her ear. He didn’t even pretend not to look, his gaze trailing from the loose curls that framed her face, down to the way her sweatshirt draped over her body, teasing at the curves underneath.

She rolled her eyes after a brief pause. “It’s my cousin, Earl,” She clarified to him, already sounding exasperated.

Unique smirked to himself, knowing that eye roll probably meant Earl was calling with some nonsense. He turned his attention back to the comic, half-listening as Mo’nique talked to her cousin.

“No, I ain’t been holdin’ him hostage.” She said dryly. “He’s as fine as he can be. Walkin’ and everything.”

Unique huffed a quiet laugh at that, still pretending to read. She spoke with Earl for a few more moments before suddenly, she was holding the phone out to him.

“It’s for you.” She said, tilting her head toward him.

Unique arched a brow but took the receiver anyway. “Yeah?”

On the other end, Earl’s voice came through, casual but laced with something just short of concern. “Damn, nigga, I gotta check on you myself? You still breathin’?”

Unique hummed, stretching his legs out. “Barely,” He muttered, his middle sort of dropping since he now had to think about the situation he was currently in.

“Uh-huh. Mo’nique takin’ care of you, I see. You eatin’? She got you doin’ yoga or some weird shit yet?” He asked. Unique let out a half-assed chuckle. “Nah, but she got me walkin’ like an old man, so I guess that count.” He shrugged.

Earl snorted. “Good. You ain’t got time to be laid up forever. You know you owe me, right? This little hospital recovery situation you got goin’ on ain’t free.” He stated. Unique rolled his eyes, leaning his head back against the couch. “I know what I owe, Earl. Ain’t gotta remind me.” He said, not even trying to hide how pissed his tone sounded.

“I mean, I do, ‘cause I know how y’all niggas get when a woman playin’ nurse. You get too comfortable, next thing you know, you tryna post up and start a life.”

Unique smirked. “Nigga, shut up.”

Earl laughed, but his tone shifted slightly, turning a bit more serious. “For real, though. Don’t let all that home-cooked food and soft hands fool you. She doin’ you a favor, but it ain’t forever. You gettin’ back on your feet soon, right?”

Unique exhaled through his nose, glancing toward Mo’nique, who was still settled beside him, flipping through channels without care. “Yeah, man. I’m workin’ on it.” He said, looking at the woman.

Earl let out a satisfied hum. “Aight. Just checkin’. Don’t say I ain’t look out.” Unique only grunted in response before saying a quick, “I’ll hit you later,” and hanging up. He shook his head slightly, letting the phone rest on his stomach.

His attention drifted just as Mo’nique got up from the couch, stretching her arms above her head. Her off-the-shoulder sweater allowed him to see more of her once she stood, and her position showed him much more for a few seconds before she headed toward the kitchen. Unique barely listened to the background noise of the television now, too focused on the way she moved.

She pulled open the fridge, bending slightly to look inside, and his eyes dropped to her form. Those black leggings she had on turned out to be a body suit that clung to her like a second skin, but the oversized gray sweatshirt she threw on over it gave the illusion that she was just wearing tight pants. His gaze lingered, trailing the curve of her hips, the way her stance shifted as she rummaged through the fridge.

Yeah, Earl had a point. This was comfortable—too comfortable. And yet, Unique didn’t feel the need to move just yet. He blinked before placing the phone back and then picking up the coming book.

It wasn’t long before the scent of sautéing onions and garlic filled the small apartment, weaving through the air and settling over the living room where Unique sat, still flipping through one of Mo’nique’s comics. She moved back and forth in the kitchen like it was second nature, checking on what was sizzling on the stove, and then making sure the oven was doing its job. It was a simple meal, but a full one—pan-seared ribeyes with a rich gravy, mashed potatoes, and a side of roasted green beans. Nothing extravagant, just something hearty, something that would stick to the ribs.

As she moved past the couch again, heading back toward the kitchen, her eyes flicked toward the television. “You watching this?” She asked, nodding at the screen.

Unique barely looked up from the comic in his hands, shaking his head. “Nah,” He murmured, holding up the book in explanation.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. The room was quiet for a moment, save for the distant hum of the oven and the occasional bubbling of something on the stove. Then, instead of walking straight back to the kitchen, Mo’nique veered toward the record player sitting next to her bookshelf.

Unique’s eyes lifted from the comic, watching as she crouched slightly, thumbing through a stack of vinyls with the same kind of careful selection she used when she was prepping ingredients. His interest was piqued—not just at the records, but at the ease with which she moved through this space, the quiet confidence in how she did things without making a big show of it.

A moment later, the soft crackle of the record player filled the air before the unmistakable voice of Sade poured into the room.

“This may come… this may come as some surprise…”

Unique recognized it immediately. Love Deluxe. The kind of album you let play straight through without skipping a single track. His lips twitched in amusement as he glanced between the page in his hands and the woman in front of him, absorbing one more than the other.

Mo’nique, still facing the record player, adjusted the volume slightly before swaying a bit as she made her way back to the kitchen.

“I won’t pretend that I intend to stop living…”

Unique let the words settle over him, leaning back into the couch as he took it in. After a few seconds, he finally spoke. “You got good taste.”

Mo’nique turned her head slightly, stirring something in a pot as she smirked. “You surprised?” She asked.

Unique shook his head with pursed lips. “Nah,” He admitted, setting the comic down on the arm of the couch. “I just ain’t met a lot of people my age who actually own vinyls. It’s all about the cast now.” He shrugged before looking over at the stand that held the records, and he could recognize most through the class. “You got a nice collection.”

She chuckled, glancing over at him. “Ain’t nothin’ like hearin’ music the way it’s supposed to sound. Ain’t nothing gon’ ever replace this.” She stated, gesturing very to her record stand. Unique nodded in agreement, a spark of appreciation in his eyes. “You sound like me. I had something like a record shop back in the day.” He added.

Mo’nique arched a brow, pausing for a second. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Unique said, stretching an arm along the back of the couch. “Had everything in there—old school, jazz, soul, hip-hop. Kept the classics in rotation. People used to come in just to talk music, even if they wasn’t buyin’ nothin’ or getting tailored.”

Mo’nique smiled, clearly impressed. “That’s dope. You still got it?” She asked. And Unique hesitated. He blinked, glancing at the spinning record before shaking his head. “Some like that.” He said. He didn’t elaborate, and Mo’nique didn’t press. Instead, she simply hummed in acknowledgment, letting the music fill the space between them again.

“I won’t pretend… I’m good at forgiving…”

She stirred the pot once more, then moved to check on the steak in the oven, the glow of the kitchen light making her sweatshirt appear almost silver as she moved. Unique watched her, his fingers absently drumming against the couch as he took in the scene.

“You a big Sade fan?” He asked after a beat.

Mo’nique grinned. “Huge. My sisters used to play her albums when our mama made us clean the house.”

Unique smirked, nodding. “A classic for real. ‘Cherish the Day’ might be my favorite track off this one.”

“Mmm,” Mo’nique hummed approvingly. “That’s a good one. But for me? It’s ‘Kiss of Life.’ Great song.”

Unique chuckled, shaking his head. “You a romantic.” He stated more than asked.

She let out a small scoff, giving him a knowing look. “And you ain’t? I mean, who the hell isn’t?”She asked. But Unique simply tilted his head, considering. “I appreciate good music, that’s all.” He shrugged.

Mo’nique laughed softly, shaking her head before turning back toward the stove. The room felt lighter now, more familiar in a way that hadn’t been there before. Unique stretched out his legs, letting the smooth melodies wash over him, feeling…an odd sense of peace.

“So, what happened with the record shop?” Mo’nique asked, her voice cutting through the music. She kept her tone casual, but there was a pointed curiosity behind it. Unique exhaled through his nose, shifting slightly. He didn’t look up from the book, his jaw tensing momentarily as quick thoughts of recent events played out in his mind. “Had to let it go.” He said, but even as the words left his mouth, he knew that wasn’t enough. It wasn’t just a shop. It had never just been a shop. And something about the way she was looking at him over her shoulder told him she knew that, too.

She arched a brow at his silence, waiting to see if there was more before she spoke again. His tongue poked at his cheek, the habit of keeping shit vague kicking in before he could stop it. “Wasn’t just a record store.” He admitted finally, the words slow, careful. He didn’t really know why he was presenting this information. It’s not like he trusted Mo’nique or anything. But his life was in her hands, in a way, and she hadn’t done anything to prove that she was unworthy of a little openness between them. “Had some… other things tied up in it. Business got hot, I had to step away.” He practically mumbled.

Mo’nique hummed, scraping the bottom of the pan with her spoon. “Mmm. I figured it was something like that.

Unique’s gaze drifted up towards her, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that right?” He asked.

Mo’nique turned to him with a small smirk. “C’mon, Nique. A young nigga in the ’90s owning a record shop and actually making real money off it? Either you had old money, or you had a side hustle. And, not to be a bitch, nothing about you gives trust fund baby, B.” She says, a small wince on her face near the end.

Unique let out an audacious chortle, shaking his head. “And you peeped all that from Earl dropping me off on your doorstep?”

“I peep everything.” She said simply with a shrug, moving to chop up some fresh parsley before she let out a large sigh. “It ain’t nothing new.” She mumbled, but it was loud enough for Unique to hear her over the cooking, causing him to question what that statement meant. For a second, he just watched her, waiting for the follow-up questions—the ones that usually came whenever people got even the slightest inkling of what he did. The ones about how deep he was in, how much money he made, whether he’d ever been locked up.

But Mo’nique didn’t ask. She didn’t even look surprised. She just took it in stride, like it was just another piece of information about him, no different than him telling her his favorite color.

It threw him off a little.

He tapped a finger against his knee, watching her from the couch. “You don’t wanna ask nothin’ else?” He asked, and though somewhat genuinely, he was trying to pry more context out of her due to her previous statement.

Mo’nique shrugged. “Nah.”

Unique blinked. “Nah?”

“Nah.” She tossed the chopped parsley into the pan. “Ain’t my business unless you want it to be.”

That made him pause. Most people either wanted in, wanted to know the extent of it, or wanted to use it against him somehow. But she? She really didn’t seem to care one way or another. Something about that settled in his chest in a way he didn’t expect.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The meal came together smoothly, the air rich with the aroma of seared steak, garlic-buttered potatoes, and slow-cooked greens. Mo’nique worked with an effortless rhythm, moving between the stove and counter, plating everything with the same care she put into cooking. She drizzled a dark, velvety sauce over the steak, letting it settle before giving it a final once-over. Satisfied, she grabbed a fork and knife, setting them on the plate before heading toward the living room.

Unique was still lounging on the couch, one hand draped lazily over his stomach, the other flipping absentmindedly through another comic from her collection. He glanced up when she walked in, his eyes flicking from the plate in her hands to her face.

“You ain’t gotta serve me like that, B.” He muttered though he was already sitting up, adjusting himself to make room.

Mo’nique smacked her lips. “What are you gonna do? Come get it?” She asked, and before he could even think of what to say to her jab, she rolled her eyes. “Just eat the damn food.”

She pulled the coffee table closer before setting the plate down in front of him, then grabbed her own and sat beside him. The television remained off, the room bathed in the soft golden glow from the lamps, and Sade’s voice floated through the space like silk, setting an easy, intimate mood.

Unique picked up his fork, cutting into the steak. The first bite was met with a deep, satisfied hum. “Damn,” he said, glancing over at her. “Aight, I gotta give it to you. You did that.”

Mo’nique smirked. “I know.”

He chuckled, shaking his head as he scooped up some potatoes next. They ate in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds being the occasional scrape of silverware and the soft croon of Kiss of Life playing in the background.

After a few bites, Unique leaned back against the couch, his gaze drifting toward her. “Aight, so I told you about me. What’s your story?”

Mo’nique lifted a brow. “My story?” She asked, chewing.

“Yeah.” He nodded toward her. “You know shit about me, but I don’t know much about you ‘cept that you know how to cook, you got good taste in music, and you read comics. What else?”

She stabbed a piece of steak, chewing thoughtfully. “Ain’t much to tell.” She muttered, looking off in thought as her mind tried to come open with something.

Unique gave her a look. “C’mon, B. Ain’t nobody that simple.” He said, raising a brow at her. Conversation was light between them, a track contrast from the small pout they found themselves in yesterday. But everything seemed to be progressing nicely, and they both thought that maybe their time together after all wouldn’t be that bad.

Mo’nique smirked, tilting her head slightly before glancing away. She hadn’t expected him to ask about her, not like this. Most men in his position were content with talking about themselves, but Unique seemed genuinely curious.

She exhaled, rolling her shoulders. “I’m from Harlem. Move to Queens five years ago for work after I graduated. Been on my own for a minute now. I nurse old people sometimes, keep to myself.” She listed plainly before looking over at him once she finished.

Unique nodded slowly, waiting for more.

Mo’nique shot him a look. “What?” She asked, tilting her head

“You said sometimes. Is nursing all you do?”

“I do hair sometimes,” She said, sipping from her glass of water. Unique hummed, watching her as he took another bite. “You got people out here?” He questioned, such a question sounded weird coming from his mouth, but Mo’nique didn’t seem phased.

“Not really.” She shrugged, pushing her greens around her plate. “Cousins and whatnot, but I don’t be around them like that. Just Earl when he feels like bothering me.” She said, and let out a sigh at the thought of the man.

Unique smirked. “Yeah, I peeped that.”

She rolled her eyes. “I guess he means well. I don’t see it. And he annoying as hell.” She stated.

“Ain’t that what cousins supposed to be?”

Mo’nique chuckled at that, shaking her head.

For a while, they just ate, letting the conversation flow naturally. Unique asked questions here and there—nothing too deep, but enough to get a feel for her. And Mo’nique, to her own surprise, found herself answering without hesitation. It felt nice to open up like this. It’s been a while since she’s done out and spoken to someone new, and getting to experience and tell stories all over again.

There was an ease to it, the kind of thing that didn’t need to be forced. And as the record played on, and their plates gradually emptied, it became clear that, somehow, without even realizing it, they had settled into something… familiar. Something comfortable.

Neither of them said it out loud, but they both felt it.

“Speaking of family,” Mo’nique said, cutting another piece of steak. “My sisters and their kids sometimes visit on the weekends. Just giving you a heads up.”

She glanced over at Unique, a small smile playing on her lips. He had slowed down on his food, now just lazily pushing the last bit of potatoes around with his fork. He raised a brow at her words.

“How many you got?” He asked.

“Two. Both older,” she answered. “Tasha and Renee. They got four kids between them.”

Unique hummed, nodding. “You close with ‘em?”

“Mhm. They were on my ass heavy growing up,” Mo’nique admitted, smirking slightly. “Acted like they was my mama sometimes and other times I couldn’t even get them to hang out with me.”

He chuckled at that, picturing it. “That's why you left Harlem? Needed space?”

Mo’nique’s smile faded a bit as she looked down at her plate. She leaned back slightly, rolling her shoulders. “Something like that.” She said tensely. “Harlem’s always gon’ be home, but it started feeling too small, you know? Needed a change, and Queens felt… I dunno, different.” She shrugged, reluctantly glancing up at him. Their eyes connected but her behavior didn’t seem to be apparent to him, or he simply ignored it.

Unique nodded slowly like he understood exactly what she meant. “Yeah. I get that.” He sighed, looking down at his own plate.

She watched him for a beat, curiosity flickering in her gaze. “You ever think about leaving?” She asked softly. Unique chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment before exhaling sharply through his nose. “Nah.” He said, looking back up at her. “This home. This all I know.” He shrugged. There was something in the way he said it—final, but not necessarily proud. His words seemed to settle after he said them, the man clenching his jaw as thoughts of every moment that happened, leading up to the predicament he was in currently. His finger flexed as his mind flashed thoughts about his brother, but blinking seemed to do the trick to settle the rage he could feel building up.

Mo’nique noticed but didn’t press. She simply nodded, accepting his answer as it was. A quiet moment passed between them before the phone rang again.

She barely thought about it before moving, instinct kicking in as she sat her plate on the glass table and leaned across Unique—again.

This time, she still wasn’t as careful about the space between them as she moved out of habit, but her eyes caught his just as her fingers wrapped around the receiver.

Her breath hitched.

He was staring at her, those dark eyes locked onto hers, unreadable but intense. She hadn’t realized just how close she had gotten, her chest nearly brushing his. And he noticed how long and luscious his lashes made his brown irises. For a split second, she couldn’t move, frozen under the weight of his gaze.

Unique didn’t say a word, didn’t move either—just sat there, watching her.

Mo’nique swallowed, tightening her grip on the phone before pulling back, blinking as if shaking something off. She sat back into her spot, crossing her legs softly before holding the phone up to her ear.

“Hello?” She said, voice smooth despite the slight flutter in her stomach.

The sound of faint music and chatter filled her ear before a familiar voice cut through.

“Girl, where you at? We all about to go out tonight. You coming or what?”

Mo’nique sighed lightly, already shaking her head. “I can’t tonight.”

“What you mean you can’t? You said—”

“You know my sisters sometimes come over on the weekends.” She cut in smoothly, her voice holding a faux sadness like she truly regretted it. She glanced at Unique as she spoke, catching him watching her again, though this time he was back to eating as if the moment between them hadn’t just happened.

Her friend groaned on the other end, clearly not buying it but knowing better than to argue. “Man, whatever. You always got some excuse.”

Mo’nique smirked. “You’ll live.”

Her friend sucked her teeth before finally hanging up.

Mo’nique lowered the phone, exhaling softly as she set it back down. She turned her attention back to Unique, who was still watching her, still eating, still relaxed. She picked her plate back up, schooling her face into something unreadable as she resumed eating, pretending like nothing had happened.

Unique eyed her as she picked up her plate, acting like he hadn’t just watched her come apart for a second when she leaned over him. He let her have her moment, let her pretend, but he wasn’t gonna let her slide that easy.

“Who was that?” He asked, his tone casual, but his eyes sharp.

Mo’nique jerked her head back slightly, her lips curling into a teasing grin. “Uh! Is that any of your business?” She quipped.

Unique let out a short breath of air, somewhere between a chuckle and a scoff. He shook his head, leaning back against the couch, his tongue running over his teeth.

“Sorry.” He muttered, throwing his hands up slightly.

Mo’nique smirked before stabbing another piece of steak with her fork. “If you must know.” She said, chewing slowly, drawing it out. “It was one of my homegirls. They wanted me to go out tonight.” She said uninterestedly.

Unique’s chewing slowed as he took in what she just said to him, and the conversation he heard her have over the phone. His jaw tensed slightly, brows furrowing as something shifted behind his eyes. “You could’ve went out tonight.” He said, his voice noticeably flatter.

Mo’nique blinked at his tone, her fork pausing midway to her mouth. “I mean, I guess, but I didn’t really want to.” She shrugged.

“Yeah, but you said your sisters were here,” Unique shot back. “Your sisters ain’t here.” He stated with a shake of his head.

Mo’nique’s brow lifted, her lips parting slightly at his sudden shift in tone. “Well, I couldn’t say there’s a man in my home that I’m taking care of, could I?” She pointed out. And though she was still poking fun, her situation was obviously true and real for both of them.

But that didn’t land the way she thought it would.

Unique’s face twisted, something dark flickering in his eyes as he straightened up slightly. “See! That’s why you ain’t wanna go.” His voice edged with something heated now, something irritated. “I’m not keeping you from going out. You can go have fun. I ain’t some fuckin’ baby that needs your constant attention.” He hissed

Mo’nique narrowed her eyes at his sudden mood change, jaw tightening. “I didn’t say you were, Unique.” She stated in a firm tone as she became increasingly angry.

“You didn’t fucking have to, Mo’nique.” He snapped.

She stared at him for a moment, letting his words sit in the air before exhaling sharply through her nose. She put her plate down on the coffee table, sitting up straighter.

“You doin’ a lot right now,” She said, shaking her head as she let out a humorless chuckle to stop herself from becoming angrier. It’s why she set the plate down. Not only because was she done was eating, but having a knife and fork in her hands wasn’t going to make her feel any better with a man currently yelling at her. Unique scoffed, his tongue clicking against his teeth. “Nah, you doin’ a lot.” He shot back. “Lyin’ about why you ain’t wanna go. Actin’ like you stuck here, or some shit. Like I got you tied up in this motherfucker.” He grumbled, the plate on his lap long forgotten as he dropped his utensils a while ago. He let out a tired sigh as he moved the plate to the table as well, feeling his annoyance rise, though he didn’t see how irrational it was.

Mo’nique’s lips pressed together, her temper starting to bubble. “I didn’t lie, nigga, I just didn’t feel like goin’.” She said firmly. “And you not about to sit here and act like I said somethin’ I didn’t.”

Unique shook his head, his knee bouncing now, his hands rubbing against his sweatpants. His head was starting to ache and throb, pressure building behind his eyes, and for some reason, it all just irritated the fuck out of him. “You don’t even know me like that,” He muttered, shaking his head. “So you can quit actin’ like I need takin’ care of.”

Mo’nique scoffed at him and threw her hands up. “Nigga, you got a whole ass head injury! You can barely fucking walk! You do need takin’ care of!” She yelled. “Matter of fact, you need a fucking doctor from an actual hospital!” She shouted, looking over at him.

That made Unique’s jaw clench, his nostrils flaring as he exhaled sharply. He wanted to argue that, wanted to bark something back at her, but he couldn’t. Not without lying. Mo’nique watched his face, saw the way his frustration boiled under the surface, and sighed heavily. She shook her head, running a hand over her face.

“I stayed ‘cause I wanted to, Unique. Not ‘cause I had to.” She said, her tone softer but still firm. “Ain’t nobody makin’ me do shit.”

But Unique’s knee kept bouncing, his jaw working. He tapped his fingers against his thigh, his head still pulsing, his mood still sour, but he didn’t say anything for a long moment. Stewing in his own head while the music played on in the background, Sade’s voice smoothing over the tension in the room. Mo’nique’s words hung in the air for a second, but Unique wasn’t the type to let shit slide—not when he was already on edge. Then finally, with a low scoff, he muttered, “Whatever, man.” He said, shaking his head.

Mo’nique rolled her eyes at him before picking her plate back up and scoffing. “Childish ass.” She mumbled as she walked over to dump the scraps from her plate and then placed the dirty dishes in the sink, the ceramic and metal clacking together loudly.

His head snapped toward her as she walked away, eyes sharp, something dangerous flickering behind them. “The fuck you just say?” His voice was low, like the warning before the storm.

Mo’nique turned and met his glare head-on, not backing down. “You heard me.” She said.

Unique let out a dry, humorless chuckle, shaking his head as he leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees. “Oh, so now I’m childish? ‘Cause I ain’t sittin’ here lettin’ you treat me like I’m some fuckin’ burden? Are you stupid?”

Mo’nique’s lips parted slightly, her frustration bubbling over as she turned to face him full in, walking back over into the living room. “Watch your fucking mouth, Unique! I never said that shit! You keep twisting my words like I said somethin’ I didn’t because you’re in your fucking feelings or whateva!” She yelled, frantically waving her hands since it was the only thing that could explain any of the shit he had running through his mind.

Unique scoffed, looking away for a second before snapping his eyes back to her. “You did, though. The way you said it—like you ‘takin’ care’ of me. Like I need you! Like I’m some lil’ nigga you gotta look after. I don’t need shit from you!”

Mo’nique let out a sharp breath, shaking her head. “You act like I said you was helpless. I ain’t say none of that. You the one that got in your feelings over some shit I ain’t even mean like that.”

Unique’s jaw tightened, his fingers moving to press against his forehead as the pain behind his eyes became too much, making everything feel ten times worse. “Man, you don’t get it.” He muttered. “You just don’t fucking it get it!”

Mo’nique narrowed her eyes. “Then explain it to me.” She said, placing her hand on her hips.

Unique looked at her then, really looked at her, like he was trying to decide if it was even worth saying out loud. But his head was hot, his emotions tangled, and the words slipped out before he could stop them. “I spent my whole life makin’ sure I was the one takin’ care of shit. I built myself up, made my name, made sure nobody ever had to look after me.” He said fondly, hitting his hand against his chest as he looked up at her. “So yeah, when you sittin’ here talkin’ like I’m some responsibility—like I’m some job—I don’t like that shit.” He hissed.

Mo’nique stared at him for a second, processing, before shaking her head. “That’s your ego, Unique. Not reality. And that ain’t my fucking problem.” She spat. And even though she was angry, she didn’t feel bad for the man. She always had, since he arrived. She didn’t know what he did to end up in the situation he was in, but living with pain had to be a fate worse than dying, and his pain was unimaginable. But she couldn’t sit here and just let this man disrespect her, even if she was going through shit she couldn’t quite fathom.

Unique shook his head, pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek, his irritation still simmering. But for some reason, when she said that, when she poked at him just a little bit, it made something in his chest twist—not in anger, but in something else. Something that made him drag his eyes over her, from the way she stood up all defensive, to the way she was holding that fork earlier like she might jab him with it if he said something outta pocket.

Silence stretched between them for a second, the air thick, charged.

Then, finally, Unique let out a breath, shaking his head with an almost amused smirk. “You a piece of work, you know that?”

Mo’nique smirked right back. “And yet, here you are, still sittin’ in my house.”

Unique let out a dry laugh, low and humorless. “Yeah, here I am.” His voice was tight, his jaw clenched. “And maybe that’s the problem.”

Mo’nique’s faux smirk faltered for half a second before she scoffed, folding her arms. “The problem?” She echoed, eyes narrowing. “What the fuck does that mean?”

Unique sat up, his body tense, his glare sharp. “It means maybe I shouldn’t be here! Maybe I should’ve never been here in the first place!” His voice boomed through the apartment, bouncing off the walls.

Mo’nique let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head. “Oh, so now it’s my fault you sittin’ in my damn house? I ain’t force you to be here, Unique! You think I dragged your ass off the street and made you sit on my couch?”

“You ain’t force me, huh? Oh okay, you ain’t force me.” Unique leaned forward, eyes blazing. “Then why the fuck you actin’ like you stuck with me or some shit?“

Mo’nique threw her hands up. “When the fuck did I ever say that?!” She asked. “Huh?! When? You makin’ shit up in your head and then gettin’ mad about it like that shit real!” She yelled.

Unique slammed a fist against his thigh, his breathing ragged. “You think I’m makin’ shit up? You think I don’t see the way you act? The way you talk to me like I’m some charity case?”

Mo’nique’s eyes widened, and then she snapped.

“You know what? Fuck you, Unique!” She shouted, stepping closer, her voice shaking with anger. “Ain’t nobody treatin’ you like no goddamn charity case!” She said, getting closer to where he sat on the couch. “You sittin’ here poutin’ like a little fucking boy ‘cause I ain’t tell my homegirls I got a nigga laid up in my house? Is that what you’re really angry at? Huh! Is that it? You want me to put you on the lease or some shit? You want me to announce you?”

“Don’t play with me, Mo’nique.” Unique’s voice was low and lethal, his chest rising and falling as he glared at her.

“Or what? What the fuck you gon’ do?” She snapped right back, stepping even closer, damn near toe-to-toe with him and she bent down to be near his eyes level. “’Cause you ain’t scarin’ me, nigga. At all! You wanna throw a tantrum ‘cause I chose to stay in instead of goin’ out? Like I made that choice ‘cause of you? Get the fuck over yourself!”

Unique was breathing hard now, his fists clenched at his sides, his body rigid. His head was pounding, the anger clawing up his throat, his vision damn near shaking.

“You so full of shit, Mo’nique!” He bellowed, his voice vibrating through the walls as she shouted in her face.

“And you so damn insecure, Unique!” She fired back, eyes blazing. “What, you think every little thing I say is some secret message about how I don’t want you here? Like I gotta prove somethin’ to you every damn second? Ain’t nobody got time for that shit! Nigga, I barely fucking know you!”

Unique’s nostrils flared as they glared at each other, the air between them thick, electric with tension, their chests heaving, their bodies taut like they were seconds away from either tearing each other apart.

Mo’nique then suddenly scoffed and turned away, shaking her head as she snatched his plate off the table. “Is that it? Is that all?” She asked him. “Cause I’m done talkin’ to you, man.” She muttered.

“Good,” Unique snapped, flopping back against the couch with a sharp exhale. “Shit.”

And so the air between them was still thick with the remnants of their argument, tension hanging like smoke in the small apartment. Mo’nique moved through the kitchen with mechanical precision, scraping the plates into the sink and washing them with a quick but forceful scrub, the sound of water splashing echoing around the apartment. She wasn’t sure if she was cleaning out of necessity or out of sheer frustration—maybe a little of both. Her movements were sharp and quick, and there was an edge to her, a rawness in the way she held herself that hadn’t been there before the argument.

Unique, meanwhile, had collapsed back onto the couch, his body sinking into the cushions as his head throbbed with the aftermath of both his injury and the fight. The heat of anger still simmered beneath his skin, but the fatigue was quickly drowning it out. He stared at the ceiling, willing the pounding in his skull to ease, his mind racing over what had just happened. He was pissed—pissed that she didn’t get it, that she couldn’t see why he didn’t want to be coddled. But that didn’t mean the argument was over. It couldn’t be. Not yet.

Mo’nique finished cleaning the dishes and wiped the counters with a quick swipe of the rag, tossing it onto the sink and wiping her hands on a dry one. She didn’t say a word to him as she turned away, but she could feel his eyes on her as she walked across the room. She could feel the heat of his gaze even without looking at him as she walked to her room, and it made her skin crawl. It wasn’t the same look from earlier—it wasn’t even anger now. But it was something else.

She sighed once she walked into the space and then looked at the couch. She’d promised him she’d help him get to bed, but the idea of sharing the same space after what just went down didn’t sit well with her. She needed space, but he was hurt—he was the one who needed help. But she needed to get ready for bed before he even thought of the idea of entertaining him.

It wasn’t long beefed she walked back out of the room, in tight shorts and a basketball jersey with her hair wrapped. She made quick work of cutting off the record player after she walked into the small living room. She still looked angry from the argument that occurred moments ago, and it was also evident in her tone as she stood near the coffee table and spoke. “It’s time for bed.” She said flatly, her voice betraying nothing of the emotion she was hiding.

He didn’t move at first. Just stared at her for a moment. His expression was hard to read, but she caught the way his jaw clenched, the way he shifted as if he was torn between stubbornness and physical pain.

“You gonna help me or not?” He asked, his voice rough from the shouting.

Mo’nique rolled her eyes. “If I wasn’t going to help you, I would’ve left your ass here.” She said. She then walked over to him and offered her hand. He stared at it for a long beat, his brow furrowed. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want help—it was that he hated needing it. And he hated that she knew it. She always seemed to know just when to push his buttons.

He took her hand, though, begrudgingly, allowing her to help him up. They moved slowly, his body aching with each step as she guided him toward the bedroom. The silence between them was heavy, thick with unspoken words. They hadn’t resolved anything. It felt like the argument was still alive like it was hanging over them, waiting to be picked up again.

When they made it to the bed, Unique collapsed onto it, groaning in pain, his hand pressing against his ribs as if he could somehow ease the ache. Mo’nique stood over him, arms crossed, looking down at him for a moment. She wasn’t sure if she was still mad at him or just frustrated with the whole damn situation.

“You need your meds.” She stated, her voice a little softer now, though it was still tinged with irritation.

Unique nodded, eyes closed, his face tense. “Yeah.”

Mo’nique went to the dresser, grabbed the pills and a bottle of water, and brought them back to him. She handed him the water first, then the pills, watching him swallow them without a second thought. He looked almost too tired to care.

She stood there for a second, looking at him, her arms still crossed. Her patience was thin, but there was something else, too. Something like concern buried beneath the anger. “You’re gonna be alright?” She asked, the question slipping out before she could stop it. She couldn’t help herself.

Unique didn’t answer right away. His eyes flickered up to meet hers, and there was something unreadable in his gaze before his eyes drifted away seconds later. “I’ll be fine.” He mumbled.

Mo’nique nodded, swallowing the sigh that threatened to rise in her throat. She turned to leave, already planning to crash on the couch for the night. She couldn’t be in the same bed with him after everything that happened. She didn’t want to sleep next to the guy who just screamed at her.

But before she could walk away, his voice stopped her again.

“Where you going?”

She turned, an eyebrow raised in challenge. “I’m not sleeping in here with you, Nique. You know that.” She sighed.

A few moments passed before Unique finally spoke, his voice low, strained, as though it hurt to admit something. “You don’t have to sleep out there.” He said. “I know…. we have our troubles, but you don’t have to do that. Be out there alone.” He uttered.

Mo’nique stared at him, a mix of disbelief and frustration clouding her face. “What, now you want me to babysit you? After all that?” She asked, gesturing a hand out of the room, alluding to the whole reason there was so much tension between them, to begin with, all while trying her best to surprise the way his words tugged at an unfamiliar place deep within her chest.

He didn’t back down, his gaze hardening, his tone firm. “I’m not asking you to babysit. I’m asking you to be here.” He admitted.

And she wasn’t sure why, but something in his voice—the vulnerability beneath all the bullshit—struck a nerve. She took a slow, steady breath, trying to steady herself, to figure out what the hell to do with this whole situation. Mo’nique didn’t know whether to feel relieved or irritated. There was something so raw about his admission, something that made the hardness in her heart crack just a little. She stayed quiet for a moment longer, biting back the urge to snap something back at him.

She didn’t want to give in. She didn’t want to let him win. But she couldn’t ignore the fact that he was hurt, that he needed help in a way that went beyond just the physical. And maybe that was the worst part—because no matter how mad she was, she couldn’t just walk away and leave him to deal with this shit on his own.

Mo’nique let out a long sigh, biting her lip. She turned back to him, walking slowly to the bed and sitting on the edge.

“I’ll stay.” She said quietly, her voice softer than before. “But I swear, if you pull this shit again tomorrow, I’m out. Don’t think this means I’m just gonna forget everything.” She stated firmly, not meeting his gaze.

Unique gave her a tired, almost defeated nod. He didn’t argue. For the first time that night, the fire in his eyes had dulled. He still looked sort of pissed— frustrated. But there was something in the way his posture had softened, something in the way his voice had changed when he spoke, that made Mo’nique realize maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t the only one who needed to cool off.

“Fine. I get it.” He muttered, his eyes drifting closed.

Mo’nique stayed by the bed, watching him for a moment before leaning back against the headboard. She didn’t try to get comfortable, not yet. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to forgive or forget. But for now, they were here. In this moment, together. Silent, but present.

The argument still lingered in the air, but at least they weren’t yelling anymore. And maybe that was enough.

The room was quiet, save for the soft sound of Mo’nique breathing, trying to settle her thoughts. Her gaze kept drifting towards Unique, who was now lying in bed, under the covers with his eyes closed, the tension in his face giving away just how much the day had taken out of him. He looked fragile, vulnerable in a way that made her stomach twist. The anger was still simmering beneath her skin, but it was buried under layers of exhaustion, the kind that only came from spending hours fighting someone who should have understood her better.

She shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed, her fingers playing with the hem of her shirt, biting her lip as she tried to hold back the urge to say something—anything—to break the silence. But she didn’t know what to say. She had nothing left in her to keep the argument going, but still, something tugged at her chest.

A few moments passed before Unique finally spoke, his voice low, strained, as though it hurt to admit something. “I know…I know I’m not the easiest to be around right now.” He mumbled. His words then hung in the air, heavy with meaning. She didn’t say anything in response, just letting out a sigh as she began to sink down in the slot next to him, letting exhaustion guide her. She wasn’t ready to forgive, but she was willing to try to make peace.

With a sigh, she shifted on the bed, her shoulder brushing against his as she finally spoke. “I’m not perfect either, Nique.” She said, her voice soft as she spoke with her eyes closed, her head tilted his way. “I know I pushed your buttons. I didn’t mean to go off on you like that.” She said it quietly, the words coming out slower than she wanted, but they felt necessary. She didn’t want to be angry anymore. Not tonight.

His eyes were locked on her face, expression softer now, though his eyes still held the same exhaustion. “I get it.” He said, taking this opportunity to really analyze her features since she was so close and resting. “I get why you were mad. And… I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just… I don’t like feeling like I’m a burden.” He admitted quietly.

Mo’nique’s breath caught slightly, hearing the vulnerability in his voice. “You’re not a burden, Nique.” She murmured, opening her eyes and connecting them with his, those of which were already on her. Her voice was quieter now, less harsh. “But you can’t shut me out when you need help. You can’t push me away like that.” She stated.

He looked at her before he nodded slowly, his eyes meeting hers for the first time in what felt like forever. “I know. I’m sorry. I… I’ll try to do better.”

She didn’t answer him right away. Instead, she just let out a long breath, leaning her head back against her pillow. She felt the tension in her body start to loosen, the weight of the argument slowly slipping away as she closed her eyes for a moment.

“I’m not saying I’ll be perfect either,” Mo’nique said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “But… we’ve gotta figure this out. I don’t want to keep fighting with you.” She admitted softly.

Unique didn’t say anything else for a long while, and they sat there together in the quiet of the room, the weight of everything still there, but no longer feeling like it was going to tear them apart. The silence stretched between them, thick but not suffocating. Her eyes closed, his eyes on her. She didn’t expect everything to be fixed right away, but maybe—just maybe—they were both ready to start trying.

Finally, Unique shifted in bed, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. “I don’t need you to fix everything, Mo’nique. I just need you to be here.” His voice was soft, a little hoarse like he was saying something he’d been too stubborn to admit before.

Mo’nique smiled faintly at the admission, even though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She was still processing it all—still sorting through the mess of their feelings and the remnants of the fight. But for the first time that night, it didn’t feel like the world was closing in on her. For the first time that night, things felt… quieter.

“Fine.” She said, her voice low but firm before she yawned. “But if you ever pull that shit again, Nique…”

He let out a quiet chuckle, cutting her off. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll be good.”

Mo’nique nodded, his gaze softening as he glanced over at her. She felt the heat in her chest, the anger still there—but for the first time in hours, it was starting to subside.

“Good night, Unique.” She said quietly, her voice almost a whisper.

He closed his eyes, his hand resting by his side. “Good night, Mo’nique.”

And for the first time all night, they both finally let themselves relax, letting the weight of their arguments fade as they drifted into an uneasy, but much-needed, silence.

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❦

FAMILY AFFAIR.

JOEY BADA$$ x @thatone-girly 🤎

SUMMARY: in which Jo-Vaughn persuades Bianca to go on a family trip with him and their son. little does she know, the trip was a plot to get her back. ✨

❦

"𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡' 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗬𝗢' 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗗𝗔𝗬, 𝗚𝗜𝗥𝗟," Bianca chuckled, folding up the clean and dry colored laundry, as she shook her head and Nia laughed at her reaction, "okay, finish the story. tell me how the date ended."

"okay so, after him talkin' about himself the whole date and not even giving me room to talk, reply, add on to what he was sayin' — nothing at all, the waiter came and dropped our bill off. after he paid for our food, this muh'fucka' said "you the quiet type, huh?" and bitch... when i tell you it took everything in me not to yell at that man inside that restaurant with all them white folks in there," Nia exhaled dramatically, curling her ginger hair, as Bianca let out a giggle and folded her cropped tank top, "that man was literally about to have me lookin' like a crazy ass mad black woman! like, nigga, this ain't no Tyler Perry movie!"

"and i'm not bitter. i'm mad as hell!" Bianca mimicked, quoting a line from "Diary of a Mad Black Woman", as she and Nia laughed in sync and Nia slightly jumped from almost burning her hand with her curling iron.

"bathe him, feed him, clothe him... uh, stop makin' those bubbles," Nia quoted, pointing her curling iron at her phone, as Bianca giggled and sat the folded laundry inside the large white basket, picking it up and tucking it under her arm while she grabbed her phone and headed for the staircase, "it's safe to say that i ain't go home with him and i blocked him when i got home. i can't stand a chatterbox ass nigga that don't give me room to talk, B. i'm so glad i drove myself there because i'll be damned if i'ma let him see where i stay."

"preachhh. it's one thing for me to do all the talking and you to talk back or for us to evenly engage in conversation, but it's another thing for you to do all the talking and i ain't got one word in! that shit gets annoyin'," Bianca exclaimed, shaking her head, as she walked into Kamari's — her 5-year-old son — room and sat the laundry basket on his toddler bed, "so, where you 'bout to go? 'cause i know you ain't gettin' dolled up for no reason."

"i'm surprised Joey even let you date with how obsessive he is over you," Nia joked, smirking, as she playfully winked at her phone and Bianca chuckled while she put away her son's clothing, "but i got a brunch date with this lil' white boy on my roster. i ain't never dated outside my race before, so we gon' see how this go."

Joey — also known as Joey Bada$$ or just Jo-Vaughn — was Bianca's baby father and old boyfriend. they were like two peas in a pod until they broke up a week before his tour for his '2000' album started. there was no bad blood in the breakup because the two just felt like they had drifted away from each other and were no longer compatible. they remained friends and still kept in contact with each other since they had a son, and they co-parented so well that most people still thought they were together, which the two of them were grateful for because it kept the media off their backs.

neither of the two wanted to be posted on blogs just because they broke up, so they continued to front for social media like they were still together, even though you could clearly tell they weren't.

despite this, Bianca still tried to branch out and date other men, but it never worked out because Jo-Vaughn would always find a way to chase them away, and sometimes Kamari would chase them away as well. ever since April — specifically, after he dropped his R&B single "Fallin'" — he had been trying to get Bianca back, and so far his attempts had been unsuccessful because Bianca didn't feel a desire to return to him. sure, he was an amazing boyfriend and an even better father, but Bianca believed that the two were better apart than they were together.

as long as their son was happy, she felt no need to return to his father, despite his numerous attempts of trying to romance her and make her his again.

"listen... we don't talk about that, okay? i'm lucky i managed to keep the boy i'm talking to now," Bianca chuckled, shaking her head, as she closed Kamari's closet and shut one of his drawers while she picked up the laundry basket and headed to her bedroom, "and girl, it's like 5 o'clock in the afternoon, what you mean 'brunch'? but okaaaay, i see you with the white boy on ya roster! you better work, Kali!"

"you a whole fool! but like i said, we goin' to brunch, i don't care what time it is and neither does he," Nia laughed, unplugging her curling iron, as she pushed her curled hair behind her shoulder, "and if i know Joey like i think i know him, he gon' run ole' dude off next, trust me. wait, speaking of him, where my nephew? i wanna see lil' KJ before my date, he's my good luck charm."

the "ole' dude" Nia was referring to was Malcolm. he and Bianca had been talking for about two weeks and had been taking things slow since he had just gotten out of a relationship. he was sweet, caring, had manners, and was good with kids since he had two nieces, and that alone made Bianca fall for him harder every day.

there was no doubt in Bianca's mind that Jo-Vaughn knew about Malcolm, but since he had never brought him up, she assumed that he didn't know.

little did she know, she was completely wrong.

"K is with his daddy. you know this week was his week to have him," Bianca chuckled, sitting the laundry basket on her king-sized bed, as she began to put away her clothing, "they should be here in a few minutes tho', the sun 'bout to start settin' in about an hour or so."

"take a picture of him for me and send it to me 'cause i ain't got a few minutes to spare, i got a date to go on," Nia advised, chuckling, as she put away her now cold curling iron and grabbed her phone, "i'ma call you later on tonight to tell you what happens, and if you don't receive a call from me tonight, i got covered in snow."

"Nia, please get off my phone with that shit," Bianca laughed, shaking her head, as Nia giggled and playfully stuck her tongue out at her, "have a good time playin' with ya snowman, Ni'Ni."

"shit, hopefully. bye, mamas!" Nia smiled, waving her goodbye, as Bianca smiled at her and let out a chuckle before waving back to her.

"bye, sunshine." as the call ended, Bianca chuckled at her friend's behavior and she shook her head as she put away her undergarments, tucking them inside a drawer before her doorbell suddenly rang and her head raised at the sound of it.

shutting the drawer, Bianca grabbed the laundry basket and carefully jogged downstairs as she headed to the laundry room, sitting the basket in the corner of the room close by the dryer while she speed-walked to the front door. unlocking and opening the door, Bianca was immediately greeted by Kamari hugging her leg, making the light-skinned woman smile widely while she bent down to pick him up.

"hi, papaaa!" Bianca smiled, wrapping her arms around him, as she kissed his cheek and Kamari giggled in her arms, "you had fun with Daddy this week?"

"yeah! we played gamesss, went out to eattt, and— Mommy, i made some friends at the playground!" Kamari smiled widely as Bianca let out a soft chuckle at his enthusiasm and ran her fingers over his neatly braided black cornrows.

"that's good! i want you to tell me allll about it when i finish talking to ya daddy, okay?" Bianca asked, lowering the toddler back to the ground, as she looked up at Jo-Vaughn and held out her hand, signaling for him to put his backpack in her hand while she grabbed the strap of it and handed it to Kamari, "go upstairs and unpack your bag, and when i'm finished talking, i'll come get you."

"yes, ma'am!" as Kamari excitedly ran off towards the staircase, Bianca and Jo-Vaughn locked eyes, and she noticed a small flirtatious smile on his face, making her let out a soft chuckle.

"why you lookin' at me like that, J?" Bianca asked, chuckling, as she looked up at the 6'1 male and rested one of her hands on her hip.

"i can't look at you?" Jo-Vaughn playfully smirked, running his tongue over his lips, as Bianca raised her brow at him and the two soon laughed in sync, "nah, i'm just playin', girl, how you been?"

"you askin' me this like you didn't see me last week," Bianca chuckled, earning a soft chuckle from her baby father, "but i been good, what about you? and how was Kamari?"

"a week is a long ass time, B. but i been good too, and you know KJ ain't never no trouble. he has his moments when he gets wanna throw tantrums 'cause he can't get what he wants, but other than that, he was good. he spoiled just like his damn mama." Jo-Vaughn chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets, as Bianca laughed and raised her brow at him.

"who spoiled his mama tho'?" Bianca asked, crossing her arms across her chest, as a small smile crept onto her face and she awaited his answer.

"ya mama and daddy did. that don't got nothin' to do with me 'cause i'on know nothin' about that," Jo-Vaughn jokingly shrugged, looking off to the side, as Bianca laughed and reached out to hit him, making him laugh while he grabbed her wrist, "a'ight, i spoiled you, damn. you out here tryna' get domestic and shit."

"because you lyin' like you ain't used to spoil my ass when we was together. and you wonder why 'Mari so spoiled... nigga, that's yo' doing, not mine." Bianca laughed as Jo-Vaughn laughed with her and let go of her wrist.

"if i have your permission... i wanna spoil you and him again." Jo-Vaughn announced, a smile on his face, as Bianca raised a brow and looked him up and down.

"what you got planned in your mischievous ass mind?" Bianca asked, leaning against the doorway, as she crossed her arms for a second time.

"i wanna take all three of us on a lil' family trip to Orlando. i know lil' man starts Kindergarten next month, so i wanna take him to Disney World before school starts, and i want you to come with us." Jo-Vaughn explained as Bianca glanced down at their feet in deep thought before looking back up at him.

"i'on know about that, Joey. i mean, it'll be good for him, but—"

"B, c'mon, man, you gotta' come with us. it ain't a family trip if he ain't got his mama. don't be like that, baby." Jo-Vaughn pleaded as Bianca cracked a small smile at him referring to her as 'baby' and she let out a soft chuckle.

"i told you about callin' me that, boy," Bianca chuckled as she pushed her black knotless braids behind her shoulder, "but i guess i'll tag along. for him, not for you."

"girl, stop frontin', you know you still love my ass." Jo-Vaughn chuckled, waving her off, as Bianca playfully rolled her eyes and softly chuckled.

"when we leavin'? and at what time?" Bianca asked, raising a brow, as a smile rested on her face and Jo-Vaughn smiled at her.

"tomorrow morning at 8. we flyin' over on my private jet, so go pack you and KJ a bag for the weekend and i'll see y'all tomorrow."

—

"all done, papa," Bianca cooed softly, smoothing the rest of the Vaseline on her hands on Kamari's brown-skinned face, as she gently kissed his nose and let go of his face, "go downstairs and lay on the couch. you can go to sleep until Daddy gets here."

"yes, ma'am." Kamari yawned softly, rubbing his eye, as he stood up from his bed and walked out of his room while Bianca rubbed her hands together to get rid of the excess shine the Vaseline had left.

surprisingly, getting Kamari up and ready at 7 A.M. wasn't as hard as you may have thought it was, and usually, it was difficult for Bianca to get him up early because he wasn't a morning person, but today was different. it was kind of challenging to get him out of his bed, but other than that, things went smoothly, which gave Bianca a slight shock.

nonetheless, she was grateful it didn't take him long because if it did, she most likely wouldn't have time to get herself ready.

walking into her bedroom, Bianca stood at her vanity mirror as she adjusted the zipper on her baby blue romper, her braids up in a ponytail and swinging easily with each movement her head made. while she adjusted her breasts in her top, her phone suddenly began ringing, and she walked away from the mirror as she walked to her bed and picked up her phone beside the packed suitcase, realizing that Nia was calling her and not Jo-Vaughn.

"good morning, sunshine." Bianca smiled, answering the phone, as she walked back over to her vanity and propped up her phone, seeing Nia's face pop up on her screen while she walked to her closet to pick out a pair of slides to put on.

"good morning, mamas— ooh, where you goin'?" Nia asked, noticing her attire and the bag on the bed, as Bianca chuckled and slipped a pair of her white Nike slides on her feet.

"Joey's takin' me and KJ to Orlando. i gotta' keep my voice down because he doesn't know yet, but he wants to take him to Disney World and wanted me to come along so it could be a family trip, so i told him i'd come," Bianca explained lowly, adjusting her feet in her shoes, as she walked over to her phone and noticed a smirk on Nia's face, "what you smirking for?"

"i'm not gon' say nothin' but this: when y'all asses come back from Florida, y'all gon' be back together. mark my words, B. you gon' forget allll about that nigga you talkin' to when you see ya baby zaaaaddy." Nia smirked, making Bianca laugh, as Bianca held onto her phone and shook her head, peeking out of her bedroom window and seeing Jo-Vaughn's car pull up in her driveway.

"whatever you say, Ni'Ni. just because i'm goin' outta' state with him doesn't mean i'ma go back to him. this is for Kamari, not us," Bianca chuckled, walking away from the window, as she walked over to her bed and zipped up her suitcase, "and speaking of him, he just pulled up. so, i'ma talk to you later on. make sure to run me in on what happened with Mr. White Chocolate last night."

"deny it alll you want to, B, i know him and i know you. he ain't gon' stop 'til he gets you back and you bound to fold underneath all that pressure, respectfully. it's only a matter of time, sweetness," Nia chuckled, raising her brow, as she adjusted the bonnet on her head, "but, i got'chu, i'ma definitely run you in when you get time. bye, mamas, have a safe trip."

"bye, sunshine, and thank you. i'll make sure to send you some pictures of your nephew to make your day." Bianca chuckled, smiling, as she pulled her suitcase off of the bed and rested it on the floor.

"you better. or i'ma hop on a plane to Orlando and beat yo' ass." the call ended after Nia's remark, and Bianca laughed at her statement as knocks sounded off at her door, making her smile slightly widen because she knew Jo-Vaughn didn't want to ring the doorbell in case Kamari was asleep.

walking downstairs with her suitcase and phone in her hand and her crossbody purse on her shoulder, Bianca sat the suitcase next to the couch and slipped her phone inside her purse as she walked over to the door and unlocked and opened it, revealing her baby father.

"i'm glad you knocked 'cause he's asleep." Bianca chuckled, stepping to the side and allowing him to come in, as Jo-Vaughn chuckled and cracked a smile at seeing Kamari asleep on the couch.

"i had a feelin' my lil' man was sleepin'." Jo-Vaughn chuckled, carefully scooping the toddler off of the couch, as Kamari gently writhed in his arms and Jo-Vaughn grabbed their suitcase, making Bianca furrow her brows.

"you gon' carry him and the suitcase?" Bianca asked, her facial expression resembling one of confusion, as Jo-Vaughn looked over at her and chuckled at her reaction.

"you carried him for 9 months, the least i could do is carry him to the car," Jo-Vaughn chuckled, making Bianca crack a smile, as Bianca let out a soft laugh and the two headed for the front door, "plus, you know i ain't never let you carry no bags, girl. especially if they heavy. you think just 'cause we not together no more that i was gon' stop doin' that?"

"just a lil' bit." Bianca chuckled, closing the front door, as she locked the door and tucked her keys into her purse while she walked to his car.

"well, you thought wrong, B. i'm a gentleman at heart, pretty girl," Jo-Vaughn flirtatiously smirked, winking at her, as he walked to his car and opened the back door, gently sitting Kamari inside while he buckled his seat belt and closed the door afterward, "and you bet not touch that door handle."

"yes, sir," Bianca joked, quickly putting her hand down since she was already reaching for the door handle, as Jo-Vaughn opened her door for her and Bianca smiled while she climbed into his passenger seat, "i done told you about that flirting, boy. but thank you, baby daddy."

"anytime, baby mama."

—

"ooh, nice jet." Bianca smiled, holding Kamari in her arms while his head rested on her shoulder, as Jo-Vaughn rolled the luggage to the plane and let out a soft chuckle.

"thank you, B. nice things don't come cheap," Jo-Vaughn chuckled, earning a small laugh from Bianca, as the two approached the jet and a man dressed in pilot attire walked out of the door, "B, this is Francis, he gon' be our pilot and our chauffeur when we touch down in Orlando. Francis, this is Bianca, my beautiful baby mama."

"it's nice to meet you, Ms. Bianca. i've heard so much about you," Francis smiled warmly, holding out his hand, as Bianca smiled back at him and shook his hand, keeping one of her hands on the toddler on her chest to keep him from falling, "if you don't mind me asking, who's the little guy in your arms?"

"it's nice to meet you, too! and this is Kamari, our son. he's not a morning person, so you'll probably see him awake once the plane lands." Bianca smiled, chuckling, as Francis smiled at her before his eyes landed on the bags in Jo-Vaughn's hands.

"i'll take those on the jet for you, sir, if you don't mind." Francis offered as Jo-Vaughn glanced down at the bags in his hands before handing them to the pilot.

"i 'preciate that, F. i'll make sure to leave you some tips before the day's over with," Jo-Vaughn smiled, watching him grab the suitcases, as Francis smiled and nodded his head before walking back up the stairs, making Jo-Vaughn look over at Bianca, "ladies first, right?"

"yeah, i'm glad you remember," Bianca joked, jokingly mugging him, as Jo-Vaughn laughed at her and Bianca made her way up the stairs, looking around at the interior of the jet with a smile, "oh, my God, it's gorgeous in here."

"i'm glad you like it. i was hopin' you did," Jo-Vaughn smiled, closing the jet's door behind him, "i know you probably wanna go back to sleep, so there's a bedroom back there for you and him to go. i'ma be back there in a minute."

"yes, baby father." Bianca joked, earning a laugh from Jo-Vaughn, as the two parted their ways and Bianca made her way to the back of the jet, opening the door of the bedroom and walking inside.

"oh, i just know this bed is comfortable as hell." Bianca mumbled to herself, looking at the queen-sized mattress, as she gently laid Kamari on the bed and took off his shoes, sitting them by the door while she took off her slides and placed them by his.

taking off her purse, Bianca sat it on the small wooden table next to the bed and unzipped it as she sat down on the bed and pulled out her phone, checking her notifications and going through them while she heard footsteps come closer to the room.

"made yourself at home?" Jo-Vaughn chuckled, a small smile on his face, as he closed the door and took off his shoes, leaving them beside Bianca and Kamari's shoes while he walked over to the bed.

"somethin' like that," Bianca chuckled, texting Nia back, as she turned off her phone and slipped it back inside her purse, "i can't wait to sleep on this comfortable ass bed. you picked a good ass mattress, J."

"you gon' be complimentin' me all day, huh?" Jo-Vaughn questioned, chuckling, as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and sat it on the other small wooden table on his side of the bed, "we got about a 4-hour flight anyways, so you'll be well-rested before we land."

"i just might, depending on what other surprise you got up yo' sleeve," Bianca chuckled, putting her legs on the bed, as she carefully grabbed Kamari and laid him between her and Jo-Vaughn, "and shit, i hope so. with how comfortable this bed is, it feels like i'm layin' on clouds."

"yeah, and you wonder why i bought it," Jo-Vaughn chuckled, laying on his back, as he rested his arms underneath his head and closed his eyes, "goodnight, baby mama."

Bianca chuckled softly and lay on the bed as she laid on her right side and her eyes gradually shut, "goodnight, baby daddy."

—

"Mommyyyy, wake up!" the sound of Kamari's enthusiasm-filled voice rang through Bianca's eardrums and she felt his dainty hands shake her by the shoulders, making a smile slowly spread across her face while her eyes fluttered open, "we're hereeee!"

Bianca's eyes locked onto her widely smiling child and she looked around the room to spot Jo-Vaughn, but he was nowhere to be found. assuming he was in the cockpit with Francis, Bianca let out a giggle at Kamari shaking her again, despite her being fully awake, and she wrapped her arms around his body while she sat up.

"your daddy told you where we were goin', huh?" Bianca asked, chuckling, as she smiled at the elated toddler and Kamari nodded his head eagerly.

"yes, ma'am. he told me we're going after we stop at the hotel." Kamari smiled, resting his hands on her shoulders, as Bianca reached into her purse and grabbed her phone.

"you know the name of the hotel, papa?" Bianca asked, turning on her phone, as she checked her notifications and Kamari played with the ends of her braids.

"yeah, but... i don't know how to say it. Daddy told me i said it wrong." Kamari explained, occupying himself with her hair, as Bianca chuckled and went through her unread messages, seeing some texts from Nia and Malcolm.

"it's the Waldorf Astoria hotel," Jo-Vaughn chimed in, walking into the room, as Bianca glanced up at him and Kamari looked back at him, "i was stuck between choosing that one and the Ritz-Carlton, but i made my decision about two nights ago."

"aren't both of those expensive 5-star hotels? don't be spendin' all that money at one time, J, i told you about that." Bianca advised, shooting a text to her friend and her talking stage, as she turned off her phone and slipped it back into her purse.

"as long as i'm makin' you and my son happy, i don't care 'bout nunna' that, B. and you know that," Jo-Vaughn chuckled, walking towards the bed, as he plopped down on his stomach beside Bianca and Kamari, "plus, it ain't like i'm not gon' get it back. the money flow don't stop, baby. ain't that right, K?"

"yeah!" Kamari smiled, watching his father raise his hand, as Kamari gave him a high five and Jo-Vaughn smiled at him while Bianca let out a laugh.

"you two are gonna be the death of me one day," Bianca chuckled, untying the black durag on Kamari's cornrows, as she removed the rag from his head and ran her fingers over his scalp, "where's Francis?"

"he went to go get the Rolls Royce so he can drive us to the hotel." Jo-Vaughn explained, watching Bianca slip their son's durag in her purse, as Bianca's brows furrowed and she looked over at him, playfully tugging at the gold hoop in his ear before reaching to remove his stocking cap.

"Jo-Vaughn, how much money have you spent?" Bianca asked, raising a brow, as she removed his stocking cap from his low-cut hair and ran her fingers over it while one of her acrylics slid through the side-parted cut in his hair.

"i'm not tellin' you all'at... you gon' be tryna' whup me." Jo-Vaughn defended, chuckling, as Bianca playfully rolled her eyes and the sound of a car horn sounded off from outside, causing Bianca to glance out of the bedroom door.

"Daddy, what's a Rolls Royce?" Kamari asked cluelessly, watching Jo-Vaughn get up from

the bed to grab his shoes, as Kamari climbed off of Bianca's lap and sat at the end of the bed so his father could put his shoes on.

"it's a car, little one," Jo-Vaughn explained, crouching down in front of him, as he grabbed one of Kamari's feet and slipped his shoe on, "remember when you saw that car on TV with the stars on the ceiling?"

"it's one of them?" Kamari asked in awe, his eyes lighting up, as Jo-Vaughn put on his other shoe and looked up at him with a small smile before nodding his head, "i wanna see!"

"Mr. Scott, i've prepared the car!" the sound of Francis's voice caused electricity to run through Kamari's little body, and he hopped off of the bed and ran out of the room as his eyes locked on Francis, who was standing by the door of the jet.

"Mr. Francis, does the car really have stars on the ceiling?" Kamari asked, smiling widely, as Francis looked down at him and smiled at his ecstatic face.

"yes, it does, little man. you wanna see?" Francis smiled as Kamari jumped up and down in excitement and quickly nodded his head.

"yes, please!" Kamari exclaimed excitedly as he and Francis left the jet, leaving Jo-Vaughn and Bianca there by themselves.

"his lil' ass gon' be bouncin' off walls all day long," Bianca chuckled, grabbing her purse, as she stood up from the bed and walked towards the door of the bedroom to slip on her shoes, "and i don't know how many times i gotta' tell you to stop callin' me pet names, especially in front of 'Mari. he's young, he could get confused."

"ain't nothin' for our lil' man to be confused about. his daddy loves his mama, that's all that is," Jo-Vaughn declared, a small smirk on his face, as Bianca slipped on her shoes and attempted to walk past him but Jo-Vaughn stopped her by wrapping his arm around her waist, "and i ain't stoppin' 'til i get you back, B, i told you that. you can resist it all you want, but by the time this trip ends, you gon' be all mine again, shorty."

Bianca stared into his eyes and her body tingled from his touch as she rested her hands on his chest and thought about pushing him away, but she soon got lost in her thoughts instead of acting upon them. his words sounded eerily similar to the words Nia had spoken to her this morning, and it made her wonder if Nia secretly was in on what Jo-Vaughn had planned, but knowing how Nia is, she wouldn't admit it unless it worked in her favor.

sooner or later, Bianca would eventually cave into Jo-Vaughn's advances. since the two were together for a few years, he knew all of her weaknesses, and he could easily use them to his advantage, which made Bianca slightly nervous.

one usage of one of her "worst" weaknesses, and she was bound to be bent over in their hotel room at the end of the night.

"whatever you say, Joey," Bianca mumbled, breaking their eye contact, as she felt

butterflies in her stomach and lightly removed his arm from around her, "stop tryna' romance me and let's go. Kamari ain't gon' be occupied with those stars for that long, J."

Jo-Vaughn chuckled and cracked a smile as he followed behind Bianca and the two made their way to the exit of the jet, his eyes trailing down her figure and stopping at her ass while he ran his tongue over his lips, "you got a point... but i know what can occupy me."

"Jo-Vaughn, i'ma slap yo' nasty ass with my purse."

—

"this room is beautiful... you really outdid yourself with this, J." Bianca chuckled, smiling, as the three walked into the hotel room and Kamari immediately took off running down the short hallway.

"i had to get the best for you and KJ, so i got a luxury suite. there's two bedrooms in here, a master bedroom and a kid's bedroom, so—"

"wait. one master bedroom?" Bianca asked, her brows furrowing, as Jo-Vaughn looked over at her and nodded his head, "so i gotta' share a bed with you?"

"you got a problem with sleepin' next to me, B?" Jo-Vaughn asked, chuckling, as the two made their way down the hallway and walked into the master bedroom that was across from the kid's bedroom.

"i'd rather sleep on the couch—"

"Bianca, if you think i'm lettin' you sleep on the couch, you must not know who you had a baby by," Jo-Vaughn cut her off as he sat their suitcases on the king-sized bed, "you not 'bout to sleep on that couch when this bed is sittin' right here, you heard? i'on know what typa' man you think i am, but i ain't the typa' man to let his lady sleep on the couch."

a sly smirk crossed Bianca's face at him fussing at her for wanting to sleep on the couch, and butterflies filled her stomach for a second time as she dropped the smirk from her face once she saw Jo-Vaughn look back at her and the two locked eyes while Bianca crossed her arms.

"yes, baby father," Bianca jokingly grouched, playfully rolling her eyes at him, as Jo-Vaughn chuckled at her and Bianca walked out of the room to check on Kamari, "Kamari Jahlil, stop jumpin' on this bed!"

Bianca laughed at seeing Kamari bounce on his bed and he giggled at her fussing at him as he slid off of the bed and walked over to Bianca, holding his arms up and signaling for her to pick him up.

"you wanna go look at the view with Mommy?" Bianca asked, smiling, as she picked him up and sat him on her hip while Kamari nodded his head and the two made their way to the living room.

opening the sliding door to the balcony, the summer breeze gently slapped the two in the face as they stepped onto the balcony, looking out at the clear blue sky and the warm sunlight shining over the sand and ocean across from them.

"it's pretty." Kamari spoke softly in awe, his dark brown eyes watching the sun reflect on the ocean, as Bianca smiled and nodded her head, removing her braids from underneath Kamari's arm and feeling them sway behind her head.

"it really is, papa," Bianca smiled as she heard footsteps behind her and looked over her shoulder, seeing Jo-Vaughn standing in the living room with his phone pointed towards her, "are you recording us?"

"maybe," Jo-Vaughn smiled, playfully winking, as he posted the video to his Instagram story with his song "Fallin'" attached to it and stuffed his phone into his pocket, "y'all ready to go to Disney World or y'all just gon' stand there and look at the view the whole trip?"

"i'm ready!" Kamari exclaimed, smiling, as he jumped down from Bianca's arms and ran over to Jo-Vaughn, making both of the adults laugh while Bianca walked inside and closed and locked the sliding door behind her.

"okay, Spongebob Jr, let's get you to Disney World."

—

"bye, Mickey!" Kamari smiled, waving goodbye to the employee in the Mickey Mouse costume, as the employee waved back to him and Bianca smiled at the sight, holding into his small hand while he clutched three of her fingers since her hand was too big to hold.

not only was the trip to Disney World enjoyable to Kamari, but Bianca and Jo-Vaughn enjoyed themselves as well. the family of three road rides together, took pictures, and even indulged in some of the food they had. despite underestimating how much fun she'd have, Bianca was starting to become grateful she agreed to come on the trip. though it was only for Kamari, she managed to enjoy herself as much as he did, and the smile on her face was almost as big as his.

though Kamari looked like Jo-Vaughn, it was safe to say that he and Bianca shared more mannerisms than he did with his father.

"you enjoyed yourself, papa?" Bianca asked, smiling, as she adjusted the Mickey Mouse ears on his head and the charm bracelet Jo-Vaughn bought for her at the gift shop jingled on her wrist with each movement her hand made.

"yeah! Daddy, can we go back one day?" Kamari smiled widely, looking up at his father, as Jo-Vaughn looked down at him and adjusted the matching Mickey Mouse ears on his head while he smiled at him.

"we can back for ya birthday next year, deal?" Jo-Vaughn offered, raising one of his thin brows, as he lowered his right hand down to him since he was holding onto his left one and held out his pinky finger, making Kamari's smile widen while his dimples poked through his cheeks and he locked his pinky finger with his.

"deal!" Kamari smiled as he and Jo-Vaughn gave each other a high five and Kamari looked up at Bianca while he held his pinky finger up to her, "Mommy, you're coming too, right?"

"of course, 'Mari. i wouldn't miss it for anything in the world." Bianca smiled, lowering her left hand down to him since he was holding onto her right one, as she locked her pinky around his and Kamari giggled in delight, the two sharing a high five while they approached the white Rolls Royce that Francis was sitting in.

"what else you got planned, J?" Bianca asked, averting her attention to her baby father, as she fixed one of her braids underneath her Minnie Mouse ears and Jo-Vaughn looked over at her, causing the two to make eye contact.

"you like boats?" Jo-Vaughn questioned, a small smirk on his face, as Bianca raised her brows and let out a soft chuckle in shock, watching him open the car door for her while Kamari slipped inside the backseat.

"Joey, you didn't." Bianca spoke in disbelief, getting into the seat next to Kamari, as Jo-Vaughn chuckled at her reaction and closed her door, walking over to his side and opening his own.

"i definitely did," Jo-Vaughn smirked, getting inside the vehicle, as he closed the door behind him and gave Kamari his Donald Duck plush while he looked up at Francis in the driver seat, "yo, Francis, you remember that boat dock i was tellin' you about two days ago? i need you to take me there."

"right away, sir."

—

"Jo-Vaughn!" Bianca gasped, her jaw dropping at the sight of the boat, as she looked over at him and noticed a wide smile on his face, "this is... oh, my God, it's so pretty!"

"and before you ask me about the price, i ain't buy it. i rented it for the day," Jo-Vaughn chuckled, holding Kamari in his arms, as the driver of the boat appeared before them and Jo-Vaughn bent down to dap him up, "wassup, bro. Bianca, this my homie Alejandro, he gon' be drivin' the boat for us. Al, this is my baby mama Bianca and our son Kamari."

"ah, so you the girl i hear him talk about often. it's nice to meet you," Alejandro smiled, his Spanish accent heavily audible in his speech, as he shook the woman's hand and looked over at Kamari before holding his hand up to give a high five, "hey, little guy."

"hi," Kamari smiled softly, giving him a high five, as he heard the sound of a dog barking and his eyes lit up, "you have a dog?"

"a baby French Bulldog, to be exact. you wanna see her, buddy?" Alejandro asked, smiling, as Kamari nodded his head and looked at his parents for permission, the both of them nodding their heads while Jo-Vaughn lowered him down onto the boat.

"Mala don't bite, do she?" Jo-Vaughn asked, holding onto Bianca's hand, as Bianca cautiously stepped down from the dock and into the boat.

"nah, she's a sweetheart. i made sure to train her well so she wouldn't attack non-threatening people," Alejandro assured as Jo-Vaughn stepped down into the boat and the sound of dog claws hitting the ground got closer to them, making the four of them look back and see the 2-month-old gray French Bulldog approaching them, "Ms. Bianca and Kamari, this is Mala, my dog."

Kamari smiled at the sight of the dog and approached the animal as Mala sat in front of him and looked up at him, watching him lower his hand down to her head while he pet her. Mala leaned into Kamari's hand and Bianca smiled at the sight as she pulled out her phone and started recording, making sure to get the adorable sight on camera so she could send it to her best friend.

"if you'll excuse me, i'll go start the boat."

—

"so you talk about me, huh?" Bianca asked, smirking, as she looked over at Jo-Vaughn and Jo-Vaughn chuckled, looking over at her while his arm rested behind her.

"it's hard not to talk about a woman that's heaven-sent," Jo-Vaughn chuckled, running his tongue over his lips, as he looked down at the floor of the boat and watched Kamari pet Mala, who was half-asleep in his small lap, "i still talk to my friends and my mama about you."

"Mama Scott still asks about me?" Bianca asked, her eyes lighting up at the mention of her ex-mother-in-law, as Jo-Vaughn looked over at her and nodded his head, a small smile creeping onto his face once he noticed the sparkle in her eyes.

"mhm. she still calls you her daughter-in-law," Jo-Vaughn chuckled, a smile on his face, as Bianca cracked a smile and looked out at the view, "when i told her i wanted to get you back, she told me she believed in me because she knew how much i love you. she told me "a man who truly loves a woman will fight for her", and it made me realize how much i care about you because i haven't given up on us."

Bianca felt butterflies flutter in her stomach for a third time and she looked over at him as the two stared into one another's eyes, their pupils dilating in love while Bianca's smile slightly widened. though she was talking to another man and going on dates with him, nobody could ever compare to Jo-Vaughn, and she knew this. she couldn't love another man as much as she loved him, but she had no shame in trying to see if she could find love in another person.

the men she dated after Jo-Vaughn were sweethearts and so was the one she was talking to now, but with how much time and effort Jo-Vaughn put into pursuing her, it seemed as if trying to date other men was practically a waste of time.

without either of them realizing it, their faces had gotten closer to one another's, causing Bianca's breathing to slightly speed up, and before the two could share a kiss, Jo-Vaughn moved his face back from hers, a small smirk on his face while he watched her mindlessly squeeze her thighs together.

"this motherfucker here." Bianca thought, feeling a pulse between her legs, as she wiped her sweaty palms on her romper and watched the man look out at the view.

"the view's nice, ain't it?" Jo-Vaughn complimented, changing the topic, as Bianca slyly pulled out her phone and opened her camera.

"it really is," Bianca added, glancing up at the scenery, as she raised her phone, "pose for me real quick."

looking back at her, Jo-Vaughn noticed the phone in her hands and he chuckled as he posed, making Bianca smile while she took the picture and went to her camera roll to see how it turned out.

"ooh, who that is? he look like he the man." Jo-Vaughn joked, a playful grin on his face, as he looked at the photo and Bianca laughed while she shook her head at him.

"don't get cocky, Joey."

—

"can i have a dog like Mr. Al?" Kamari asked, looking up at his parents, as the adults chuckled and Jo-Vaughn unlocked the door to the hotel room, opening the door and letting Kamari and Bianca walk in first while he walked in behind him.

"if you're good, i might buy you one for Christmas," Jo-Vaughn chuckled, closing the door behind him, as he watched Kamari walk down the hallway and Bianca walk over to the couch, "don't neither of y'all get too comfortable 'cause we leavin' in a minute."

"leaving? where we goin'?" Bianca asked, her brows furrowing, as Kamari peeked around the corner and looked at his father in slight confusion mixed with excitement.

"we gotta' eat, right? so i'm takin' y'all to The Palm." Jo-Vaughn smiled as Bianca's face dropped and her brows raised while Kamari's little brows furrowed and he looked between his parents.

"what's The Palm?" Kamari asked, leaning against the wall, as Bianca looked over at him.

"it's a fancy restaurant, papa," Bianca answered as she turned her attention back to Jo-Vaughn, "and it's extremely expensive. you don't listen to me at all when i tell you not to spend so much money, do you?"

"it's for a good cause, ain't it?" Jo-Vaughn asked, raising his brows, as Bianca playfully rolled her eyes at him and Jo-Vaughn chuckled at her, "now you and K go get dressed."

"Joey, i didn't pack anything that would fit the atmosphere of a fancy restaurant—"

"who said anything about what you packed?" Jo-Vaughn asked, a small smirk on his face, as Bianca's brows furrowed in confusion and Jo-Vaughn's smirk widened at the sight, "go look on the bed in our bedroom, B."

Bianca stepped away from the couch and made her way down the short hallway with Kamari by her side and Jo-Vaughn walking behind her as she walked into the bedroom and saw three dry-cleaners bags on the bed, a shoebox on top of each bag and making a wide smile cross Bianca's face while she looked back at Jo-Vaughn.

"what's all this?" Bianca asked, smiling, as Kamari walked over to the bed and ran his tiny fingers on the small bag of clothing, lightly tilting his head at it to see if he could make out what was in the bag.

"i had Francis go pick up some clothes and shoes for me while we was on the boat. while you and K walked down the dock, i was talking to him about restaurants i could take y'all to and he told me about The Palm. as you could tell by the three bags and boxes, i ain't pack no appropriate clothes for a fancy restaurant either," Jo-Vaughn explained, chuckling, as Bianca approached the bed and her eyes lit up once she realized the bag in the middle had a dress in it, "the first one's mine, the second one's yours, and the third one's KJ's."

"now, for the second time, get dressed." Jo-Vaughn playfully smirked, raising his brow, as Bianca and Kamari looked at each other before looking over at Jo-Vaughn.

"yes, sir!"

—

"...it takes time to look this good and you rushin' me?" Bianca exclaimed from the bathroom, adjusting her ponytail, as she pushed up her breasts in her dress and made sure her areolas and nipples were covered and not slipping out, hearing footsteps approach the bathroom door and immediately recognizing whose they were.

though Bianca was slightly taken aback by Jo-Vaughn remembering what size she wore in clothes and heels, she couldn't lie and say that he didn't have good taste. he knew what looked good on her, and it was evident due to the dress he had Francis purchase.

"girl, if you don't—" Jo-Vaughn cut himself off once he saw her and a smile crept onto his face as he analyzed her from head to toe and licked his lips at the sight of her, "i knew you'd look good in that dress."

"i'm surprised you still remember what size i wear." Bianca chuckled, adjusting the silver 'B' necklace around her neck, as she picked up her silver hoops and put them in her ears, her eyes landing on Jo-Vaughn through the mirror while she slightly smirked at seeing him be memorized by her appearance.

"i remember everything about you, B." Jo-Vaughn admitted, admiration shining in his tone, as Bianca's heart fluttered from his words and she looked away from his reflection in the mirror, looking back at herself and watching a big grin spread across her face.

"you do?" Bianca asked, grinning, as Jo-Vaughn looked at her through the mirror and nodded his head, "so, you remember how i reacted when you told me that "Love Is Only a Feeling" was about me?"

"man," Jo-Vaughn laughed, shaking his head, as Bianca laughed and turned to face him, "you cried like a baby when i sang that shit to you. i ain't know whether to keep singin' or hold you."

"and you did both. i still remember that moment," Bianca smiled, chuckling, as Jo-Vaughn smiled at her and Bianca soon started blushing, making her break their eye contact while she turned off the bathroom and grabbed Jo-Vaughn's hand, "now c'mon and let's go eat. i know K's probably hungry as hell sitting in the living room in his lil' tuxedo."

—

"you put 'Mari to sleep?" Bianca asked, walking out of the bathroom, as Jo-Vaughn stood by his side of the bed and put his phone on the charger, laying it on the bedside table while he looked up at her.

"yeah, i just laid him down. after he went to sleep, i took a shower in the other bathroom so i wouldn't bother you," Jo-Vaughn explained as his eyes scanned her attire before locking on her oversized shirt, "you still sleep in my shirts?"

"i never stopped. you left some of your shirts at my house, so i kept wearing 'em." Bianca chuckled, earning a smile from Jo-Vaughn, as she walked over to her side of the bed and grabbed her phone changer from her bedside table, plugging her phone up and sitting it down.

though Bianca scolded Jo-Vaughn about how much money he's spent, dinner was probably her favorite part of their eventful day. the family of three conversed, ate, and still managed to have smiles on their faces. after they ate, Kamari had gotten sleepy, and he ended up falling asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel, which resulted in Jo-Vaughn carrying him up to the room and giving him a bath before putting him to bed.

Bianca's bath had left her relaxed and refreshed, and all she could think about was crawling into bed and heading straight to sleep, but with Jo-Vaughn around, she knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"i remember one time i came home from tour and saw you wrapped up in one of my hoodies." Jo-Vaughn chuckled, smiling, as Bianca laughed and walked over to the vanity near Jo-Vaughn's side of the room, sitting down on the cushioned chair in front of the mirror while she grabbed her head scarf.

"i was lonely and it smelled like you, okay? don't bully me for that." Bianca laughed, wrapping her scarf around her scalp, as Jo-Vaughn chuckled and walked towards the end of the bed, sitting down on it while he looked at her with love in his eyes.

"i miss you, girl." Jo-Vaughn spoke with an unintelligible tone in his voice, a small smile on resting his face, as Bianca looked at him through the mirror she was sitting in front of and ran her fingers through her braids.

"how can you miss me when i'm right here?—"

"nah, B, i'm talking 'bout when we was together. i miss us. i miss how shit used to be. i know we ended on good terms, but sometimes i can't help but to think about what would've happened to us if we didn't grow apart. you would've probably been my wife by now," Jo-Vaughn admitted as Bianca's eyes broke his eye contact and looked down at her lap, "i miss hearin' you call me all them cute nicknames. i miss kissin' you, holdin' you, spendin' time with you... i miss being with you, B. not being with you feels like a part of me is gone and there's a void in my heart. you're the missin' piece of my puzzle piece, girl. without you, i'll always remain incomplete."

"Jo-Vaughn..." Bianca spoke softly, searching for words to form a proper response, as she looked up at him through her mirror for the second time, letting her eyes tell the story her mouth couldn't say.

"i know you miss me too, B. you been frontin' for too long and i can see through all'at shit," Jo-Vaughn added, standing up from the bed, as he walked closer to Bianca and stood beside her, "but there's one thing standin' in my way of gettin' to you, and i know you know what it is."

Bianca parted her lips to speak but no words exited her mouth as she looked up at Jo-Vaughn, confusion filling her mind before it abruptly clicked that he was talking about Malcolm. Bianca's mouth shut at the realization and she swallowed the lump growing in her throat as she watched Jo-Vaughn's demeanor change and she wiped her now sweaty palms on her thighs.

"h...how do you know about him?" Bianca asked, her voice as low as a whisper, as Jo-Vaughn chuckled and cupped her face in his hand, rubbing her cheek with his thumb while he leaned down to her.

"you think Kamari not gon' tell me 'bout the nigga you been bringin' around him?" Jo-Vaughn questioned, raising a brow, as goosebumps spread across Bianca's body and her throat became dry, "you forgot that you mines, mama? hm? or do i gotta' remind you?"

Bianca gently gripped her knees to keep herself poised and her breathing turned irregular as she looked up at her baby father and swallowed the second lump growing in her throat before parting her lips to speak, "...remind me."

—

Bianca's eyes rolled back as the bed rocked underneath her, a pillow wedged between the headboard and the wall to keep from making too much noise. Jo-Vaughn's hand rested on her mouth to silence her loud noises and the arch in her back deepened at feeling him roughly smack her ass, making her whimper in his palm while he grabbed a handful of her braids and pulled her back to his chest.

"you been frontin' all day, baby. now look at you. being a good girl and takin' this dick how you 'posed to," Jo-Vaughn cooed, a small smirk on his face, as he let go of her hair and rested his hand on one of her breasts, teasing and tugging at her nipple while he kissed her earlobe, "you missed me, pretty?"

"y-yes! oh, God, baby, don't stop!" Bianca whimpered against his palm, gently wrapping her hand around his wrist, as she rested her other hand on top of the one on her breast and her brows furrowed while her nipples hardened against Jo-Vaughn's touch.

who would've known that this would've been the end result of their first day on their family trip? Jo-Vaughn might've known and Nia knew off the bat, but Bianca? poor Bianca was clueless about what was to come later on.

"youn' know how bad i been missin' you, B. how much i craved havin' you like this again. i missed hearin' you call out for me and moan my name while i gave you this dick like my life depended on it. i missed feelin' you hold on to me as tight as you could because i was overstimulatin' you and you couldn't take it. i missed watchin' those tears roll down your face as i hit that spot," Jo-Vaughn spoke explicitly in her ear, kissing her earlobe, as he sneakily slid deeper and Bianca let out a squeal against his hand, "hearin' you say my name gives me the best ego boost of my fuckin' life, mama. the way you moan it, whimper it, whine it, cry it out, drag it out... the way it rolls off your tongue could make a nigga buss right then and there."

"Jo-Vaughnnnn..." Bianca whined, her hips slightly bucking at feeling him thrust from a different angle, as she gently squeezed his wrist, "you m-make me feel so g-good, Daddy..."

"just like that, baby. say my name just like that. you look so pretty when you say that shit," Jo-Vaughn groaned in her ear, lightly tugging at her earlobe with his teeth, as the speed of Jo-Vaughn's strokes sped up and Bianca's eyes rolled back for a second time, "you got me hooked on you, girl. and you think i'm gon' let another nigga experience this? you got me fucked up, B."

"can't no other nigga make you feel the way i make you feel, and you know that. so for you to prance around with all these niggas on ya arm like they could even top me is some fuckin' bullshit, yo," Jo-Vaughn growled, removing his hand from her mouth, as he wrapped his hand around her neck and roughly squeezed the sides of it, "they can't make you cum like i can, make you moan like i can, make you run from the dick like i can, make you squirm like i can, make you cream like i can... shit, them niggas can't even eat this pussy like i can, baby. can't none of these muh'fuckas' compare to me, and you know that, shorty."

"you let them niggas in my pussy? huh?" Jo-Vaughn asked, his tone aggressive, as he turned her head towards him, "and look at me when i'm fuckin' talkin' to you, shorty. show me those pretty brown eyes."

"n-no, Daddy, i swearrrr! i-i swear, i didn't give 'em yo' pussy," Bianca whimpered, her submissive gaze locking with his dominant one, as she bit down on her bottom lip to suppress her moans and she felt herself become wetter from his possessiveness, making a feeble whimper come from her lips while her eyes fluttered a bit, "i-i was keepin' it t-tight for you, baby..."

"aw, you kept it tight for me, princess?" Jo-Vaughn smiled sadistically, shoving his inches deeper inside of her walls, as Bianca's jaw dropped and no sound exited her mouth while she vigorously nodded her head in response, "you ain't let ya old niggas hit? not even ole' dude you with now? — and you know exactly who i'm talkin' 'bout, so don't play crazy. i'm glad he ain't get to experience it... shit, he wouldn't be able to handle all this good ass pussy even if you offered it to him."

"well guess what, B? i'm comin' back for good, so let that nigga know all this shit mine," Jo-Vaughn growled, smacking her ass and leaving a red handprint behind, as Bianca felt his tip aggressively smash into her g-spot and she gasped, her grip suddenly tightening on him while her brows furrowed, "make any type of loud ass noise and i promise you i'll leave you here wet and horny without a single orgasm."

Bianca quickly covered her mouth and her eyes rolled back as her inner thighs began tingling, pleasure coursing through her veins while she felt herself slowly being pushed into overstimulation. tears pricked at her eyes and muffled moans and cries fell from her covered mouth as her headscarf slipped off her head and onto the bed, making her quickly grab it and toss it on the floor so it wouldn't be covered in her juices.

"babyyyy," Bianca whined, her brows furrowing, as she rested her hand on Jo-Vaughn's toned lower abdomen and attempted to push him away, "i-i can't—"

"mm-mm, move yo' hand, baby. you know you can handle this dick, c'mon now. look at how good you creamin' around it, princess, and you tellin' me you can't take it?" Jo-Vaughn questioned, a smirk on his face, as he raised his brow at the woman and watched her slowly retreat her hand from his stomach, making his smirk widen while he watched her body temple, "there you go, mama, look at you. takin' this dick like a big girl. i knew you could do it, you takin' all of it so good."

"it's s-so muchhh," Bianca cried, tears slipping down her cheeks, as a sadistic smile found its way onto Jo-Vaughn's face for a second time and he lightly tilted his head at her, "y-you hittin' my spot, Daddyyy..."

"i wish you could see how pretty you look right now. tears rollin' down ya face, hand coverin' ya mouth, eyes unfocusin' and rollin' back... you look so fuckin' good with that fucked-out look on ya face, mama," Jo-Vaughn cooed, biting down on his bottom lip, as Bianca's legs began to tremble and her cream and wetness began coating her inner thighs due to how rapidly it was oozing out of her, "i'm the luckiest muh'fucka' ever, mama. as long as i got you, i'll be the happiest nigga on the plant. this fame and fortune don't mean shit to me if i ain't got you to share it with. you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Bianca. and i'll be damned if i gotta' stand by and watch another nigga experience the way you make me feel. i love you too much to let that shit just ride past me."

"i-i love you so much more, Jo-Vaughn," Bianca moaned, both of her hands now covering her mouth due to how much intense pleasure was hitting her at once, as her eyes rolled back for the millionth time and she tossed her head back onto Jo-Vaughn's broad shoulder, "o-oh, my God, i'm 'bout to cum!"

"tell me you mines and i'll let you cum. c'mon, let me hear those words leave those pretty lips," Jo-Vaughn cooed, kissing up and down her neck, as Bianca roughly bit down on her lip to suppress the loud moan that wanted to exit her mouth and her grip tightened on her face, "if i don't hear you say it, don't even think about bussin', pretty."

"i'm yours! yours, yours, yourssss! please, please, please let me cum! i can't hold it anymore!" Bianca cried loudly, her loudness being muffled by her hands, as tears streamed down her face at a quicker rate and she sobbed into her hands, her orgasm practically screaming to be released.

"cum for me, princess. let it alll out on yo' dick. gimme all that good shit." Jo-Vaughn's words made Bianca's knees buckle, and she leaned onto him for support as sounds of her gushiness sounded out into the bedroom and her jaw dropped, her eyes rolling back and her back arching deeply while her climax hit her like a freight train. a squeal fell from her lips as she came, her walls clenching and unclenching around Jo-Vaughn's phallus and earning groans from him as it did so.

her body tensed up and her bottom lip retreated between her teeth as she bit down on it so hard that it nearly bled, her chest heaving up and down at an irregular pace while Jo-Vaughn's deep strokes began slowing down. he placed kisses on her neck, ear, and the side of her face as he stroked her through her orgasm, his grip loosening on her neck while he caressed her breasts. removing her hands from her mouth, Bianca let out a soft and heavy sigh and her body relaxed as her vision corrected itself while she stared at the ceiling, letting everything that happened marinate in her mind while she breathed in through her nose and out through her parted lips.

"you know i love you, don't you?" Jo-Vaughn mumbled against her neck, making Bianca smile, as Bianca chuckled and ran her tongue over her lips, letting go of his wrist and wrapping her arm around his neck while she rubbed the nape of his neck.

"I know, baby, I know. I love you too."

[ashley666666]

Am looking for submissive sissy that is ready to saver me now to DM me 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗❤️❤️❤️

[notapradagurl7]

amazing chapter

warning; for this chapter there is none. just something small

word count: 610

Chapter One: Sour Cream & Synchronicity

Leon didn’t believe in fate. Not really. He believed in timing—windows of opportunity, doors cracked just enough, signals hidden in static. Fate was for people who thought everything happened for a reason. Leon knew better. Things just happened.

Still… there was something about that day.

It was humid, sticky in the way only Brooklyn summers could be. Leon ducked into a corner store on Nostrand, headphones around his neck, craving something salty and cold. He’d just finished a job—a quick one. Nothing messy. Just a reminder to a client who thought silence was an escape plan. He wasn’t even thinking, really, just moving on instinct, when his hand reached for the last bag of sour cream and onion chips.

So did hers.

Their fingers touched. He looked up.

She was pretty in that dangerous, unbothered kind of way—hair pulled back like she didn’t care but knew it worked, hoodie too big, eyes too sharp to miss anything. She smirked.

“Guess we got beef,” she said.

Leon raised an eyebrow, holding her gaze. “Nah. We got chips.”

She laughed. Really laughed. Like someone who didn’t just hear the joke but felt it before he said it.

Ten minutes later, they were walking back to his place.

By nightfall, she’d moved in. No questions. No drama. Just a duffel bag and a toothbrush she bought at the bodega downstairs. Her name was Noel.

She took up space on his worn-out couch like it had always been hers. Feet tucked under her, bowl of cereal in hand, TV remote already claimed. Seinfeld played in the background, and she recited the lines before they hit the screen.

Leon watched her instead.

She laughed like him. Ate like him. Moved like him.

And it was weird. Not bad weird. Just… familiar.

He leaned back beside her, arms folded, eyes on her instead of the TV. She was in the middle of a passionate rant about how George was actually the smartest one, despite being the most neurotic, when he cut in.

“You ever think this is too easy?” he asked.

She blinked. “What is?”

“This,” he gestured between them, “Us. You. Here. Like you already knew me.”

Her expression didn’t change. She just shrugged. “Some people click. That’s rare. Why mess with it?”

Leon nodded slowly, still watching her. “Where you from?”

“Brooklyn,” she said, of course.

He waited.

She paused the TV. The silence settled, comfortable.

“I was an only kid,” she started. “Mom worked two jobs. Dad cheated so much, it was basically a family tradition.”

Leon raised a brow, but said nothing.

“She stayed. For me, I guess. Or because she was too tired to leave. Either way, I left at 18. Didn’t look back.” She glanced at him. “I’m a drifter. Always was. Until I found you.”

That last part made him sit up straighter. Found him?

She looked back at the screen and pressed play like she hadn’t just dropped something heavy. George was complaining about something again.

“My grandfather got me into sitcoms,” she added. “He raised me after school when my mom worked late. Died when I was sixteen. Never knew my grandma.”

Leon stared at her. “You tell people that often?”

“Nope.”

He let the silence stretch before saying, “Thanks for telling me.”

Noel leaned her head on his shoulder, a soft smile tugging at her lips.

“Thanks for the chips.”

And just like that, they sat in the flickering blue light of the TV, two shadows shaped the same, leaning into a stillness neither of them had known before.

Leon didn’t believe in fate.

But maybe, just maybe… she did.

Leon didn’t move. Her head on his shoulder felt like it belonged there—like some missing piece of himself had just fallen into place without warning, without struggle. That should’ve scared him. Usually did. But with Noel? It just made sense.

He glanced at her again, her eyes fixed on the screen like she hadn’t just unraveled her entire childhood like a throwaway anecdote. Like it didn’t weigh on her. Like she hadn’t just casually admitted that she’d been drifting her whole life until she bumped into him.

Until she found him.

He reached up, absent-mindedly tugging at the chain around his neck. “So you just been out here… drifting?” he asked, his tone low, casual, but curious. “No friends? No crew?”

“Nope.” She popped the ‘p.’ “People got too many expectations. I like clean exits. No goodbyes, no mess. Just… next.”

“You run from everything?”

She shrugged again. “Nah. Not everything. Just the stuff that makes me feel stuck.”

Leon nodded. He understood that. More than he liked to admit. “What makes you feel stuck?”

“Being seen,” she said quietly. “Like really seen. People look too close, they start making decisions for you. Judgments. Assumptions. I got tired of that.”

He was quiet for a moment, letting that settle. Then, “You don’t think I’m lookin’?”

She looked up at him, that same faint smirk on her lips. “You look, but you don’t press. There’s a difference.”

He chuckled, the sound soft and real. “Maybe I just know not to push a good thing.”

“Maybe you just see yourself.”

That landed heavier than he expected. He let it hang, not ready to unpack what that meant. He turned back to the screen instead. Elaine was dancing again, awkward and ridiculous, and Noel was laughing—really laughing—like everything in her life before this moment hadn’t just been described in shades of gray.

Leon didn’t say anything else. Just leaned back, letting the moment wash over him.

The clock ticked past midnight.

The sitcom looped back to episode one, and still, neither of them moved.

Noel eventually pulled the blanket over both of them, curling closer like it was second nature.

And for the first time in a long time, Leon didn’t think about the blood on his hands, the ghosts in his past, or the silence he’d gotten used to.

He thought about her.

And somewhere deep in the back of his mind, one question scratched at him like a slow leak in a pipe:

How the hell did she find me?

But he didn’t ask. Not tonight.

Instead, he let her fall asleep on his shoulder, and he stayed awake watching the flicker of the TV reflect in her skin, wondering if maybe—for the first time in forever—he wasn’t drifting either.

[bigbawdy-benzz]

SUPER SHY 3/3

Pairing: Miles 42! X Black Shy Plussize Fem Reader!

Warnings: A little angsty, Rusty spanish

Tags: @aaliyahwalkshere @missmyluv @slutforneteyam @alex110370000 @decapitatedyoshi @gemma42 @mama-2001 @mxa13xx

Summary: First Date with Miles…lets see how this goes will it be a success or will it not go so well stay tuned to find out.You also meet Miles's mother

A/N: The end to the Super Shy series, this was a lot of fun to write and I'm happy all of you enjoyed the first two so I hope you guys enjoy this one!!, also I apologize if it's long I really got into it, Miles is 17 he has a whipski, I was jamming while writing this, that is why so many songs are in the listed. Request me some new suggestions for anyone in astv, This is the end of my Rambling ENJOY my luvs!! pt.1 pt.2

You were shocked at what Miles just said to you, you didn’t expect him to be direct about wanting to take you out. You were in your head speechless, not sure what to say. Miles broke the silence.

“Give me your number, I don’t like that dm shit and you don't deserve to be dmed date information”. He explained

“My number is (XXX-XXX-XXXX)” You say looking at your phone. 

“Okay imma text you when I get home” Miles announced.

“Actually text me when you’ve made it home it's unsafe out here” You reply, receiving a smile from Miles.

“I will mamita” He says before walking off, you enter your apartment thinking about everything that just happened between you and Miles. You notice your mom looking at you as soon as you come in.

“Hmm..you seem happier than usual”. Your Mom exclaimed

“Yeah I'm going on a date tomorrow with Miles!” You blurt out smiling hard.

“TELL ME EVERYTHING” Your mom shouts, sprinting to the couch, motioning you to come over to spill the beans about everything that went down. 

***

Miles makes it home immediately apologizing to his Mom before she shouts at him.

“Lo siento, llego tarde sin enviarte un mensaje de texto mami(Sorry, I'm late without texting you mommy), I was walking a girl home.” Miles apologized, after he apologized he saved your number as ‘mamita 😩🫶🏽’texting you that he was home.

“The girl you've been talkin my ear off about?” Uncle Aaron asks, Mrs. Morales looks at Uncle Aaron confused on what she was hearing”.

“¿A mi hijo le gusta una niña?(Does my son like a girl)?” Mrs. Morales asks,surprised. Miles looked at them, sucking his cheeks in to hide that he was about to smile.

“Yes, it is the girl I've been talking your ear off about, I would be lying if I said I didn’t like her and her name is Y/N”. Miles announced looking at Uncle Aaron and his Mother, it was quiet for two seconds. 

Mrs. Morales and Uncle Aaron stare at each other “TELL US EVERYTHING”. They shout startling Miles.

“Okay Okay, at the start of the walk it was very quiet for 5 minutes because she's shy, I didn't want to bombarded her with question so I used my context clues, I noticed she was listening to music so I asked her what she was listening to, she told me I told her to play it out loud so we both can listen to it. I started singing the song mad loud so she can feel a little more comfortable. She started singing which made me smile because she felt comfortable singing wit me, I started dancing because why not. After that, we started talking about music then it got you know…” Miles stopped talking 

“Vamos hijo cuéntanos(come on son tell us),It got you know what?!” Mrs. Morales exclaimed

“ItgotkindaflirtyfromtherebasicallyshegotshyonmeandIdecidedtodothatmovewhereyouputyourfingerundertheirchintomakethemlookatyouandiaskedherificantakeherouttmomorowbecauseIwassocaughtupinthemoment”. Miles rambled, smiling awkwardly at Uncle Aaron and Mrs.Morales wondering if he did the right thing. They both look at eachother nodding their heads.

Aaron está creciendo con nosotros(Aaron he's growing up on us), this is so exciting my son is so good with girls”. Mrs.Morales says giving Miles the biggest bear hug.

“Ayyyy mami” Miles says, chuckling awkwardly looking at Uncle Aaron waiting for his comment.

“You got play little man me and your mother taught you well”. Uncle Aaron says giving Miles a high five”

“Wait, where are you going to take her?” Mrs. Morales asks looking down at her son

“To be honest I had the plan to take her to a record store then an arcade because she likes music and arcades are always fun”. Miles states looking up at his mom.

“You really took some time to think about this”. Mrs. Morales says proud of her son.

“What you know about record stores Miles?” Uncle Aaron asks.

“The amount of old Black movies I've watched with you Uncle Aaron and it's always a romantic space”. Miles explained shrugging his shoulders. Uncle Aaron nodded his head proud.

“Yeah I got high hopes for you kid” Uncle Aaron states.

“eres tan perfecto que sabes que(you’re so perfect you know that?). You better treat her right Miles”. Mrs. Morales states

“Hes fine Rio he got this right?”. Uncle Aaron asks reassuring Mrs. Morales

“Of course I do Uncle Aaron, and of course I will mami she deserves it” Miles says fist bumping his Uncle.

“Whipped” Uncle Aaron says chuckling, Miles rolled his eyes chuckling.

“Mami, can she also come over tomorrow just in case?” Miles asks, she was shocked for a second.

“Yes she can just leave the door open hijo, but I'm gonna go to bed to get a few hours in before my shift” she says Kissing Miles' forehead.

“buenas noches mami” Miles says.

“Beuenas noches, mi amor, and Goodnight Aaron”. Mrs Morales replies.

“Goodnight Rio” Uncle Aaron says waving at Rio, While Miles was on his phone texting You the details.

‘be ready at 6:30 that's when Imma come pick you up ma?’ 

‘okay, is it any dress code?’

‘nah ma dress to impress or wear what you feel like fits you gon look good either way’

‘boy stop 🙄’

‘What i’m telling the truth hermosa 🤷🏽’

‘I also asked my mom if you can come over tmr after our date’ 

‘so we boutta go out then have a sleepover i'm down with that 👏🏾’ 

‘Good’

‘but i’m boutta go to bed goodnight Miles 🫶🏾’

‘Buenas noches mami 🫶🏽’ 

***

The next day at school was light, you and Miles walked to every class with each other and your friends. The one class he didn’t walk you to, you and  your friends were gossiping about him.

“Girl what happened during that walk yall real locked in” Aaliyah says crossing her fingers.

“Man he asked me on a whole ass date in the most like omg way I wanted to kiss his fine ass”. You say rolling your eyes.

“Damn it was that good?” Ocean asks

“Yeah he made me really comfortable, because it was quiet for a bit. I played my music out loud and he started singing. I joined him, and we spoke about music. I got shy because he said he liked my smile in SPANISH and then he asked me out. You explained.

“Nah yeah thats your man” Aaliyah stated entering the gym seeing Miles with his homeboys playing ball, you guys sit on the bleachers watching.

“Ugh I don't want to go to Biology” You scoff

“Then don’t go, stay in the gym”. Aaliyah says shrugging, you were watching the basketball game noticing Miles coming over.

“Oh shit your man coming”. Ocean states the obvious

“Hola Mami, shouldn't you be in class?” He asked 

“Why you clocking me?” You say jerking your head back, he chuckled at what you said, surprised.

“Since when you skipped class?I'm just making sure my girl don’t get detention”. He explains, you scrunch your nose trying not to smile.

“I'm your girl now?” You ask

“You will be soon,” He says, smirking , getting close to your frame.

“Actually I'm gonna skip with you, give me 5 minutes to finish bussin they ass then we can slide mami”. He states giving you a smile, you nod your head watching him bounce the ball running back to the court. You were kinda winded. He made you shyer than what you already were.

“I know its purring down there” Ocean laughs 

“Nah wrd you flustered as hell”. Aaliyah adds

“Oh shut up” You say falling deeper for him, the way the compression shirt accentuated his body did something to you, the way he towered over you made you weak, his brown skin glistened whenever you saw him.

“She's in a trance yall seein this' ' Ocean looks at the fake cameras.

“Okay but we're gonna go to class to give you and your man some space” Aaliyah states, collecting her things while Ocean waves at you before they leave. You believe they were psychics because Miles jogged back over to you.

“You wanna shoot around?”. He asks

“Uhh I don’t really do basketball, I'm just a girl”. You say tilting your head .

“I'll teach you”. Miles says, spinning the ball on his finger, you roll your eyes.

“Okay show off!” You say chuckling, walking to the court. Miles stood behind you positioning your hands, under his shooting the ball making it in the hoop.

“See now, try by yourself”. He says holding your waist sending a shiver down your spine. You smile to yourself shooting the ball making it in the hoop.

“Okayyyy mamita I see you lets a play a game called horse the first person to spell horse basically by missing five shots loses” He says bouncing the ball.

“Bet what's in this for the winner?” You ask with a smirk

“I don’t know you tell me” He smirks right back at you 

“Maybe a lil cheek kiss” You say being bold, Miles looks at you amused.

“Im jacken that (meaning he can get down with that). He says making a score.

“Your turn ma” He says passing you the ball, you roll your eyes dribbling the ball shooting it in the hoop scoring. This went on for 20 minutes, you only missed 4 times while Miles missed 3. You score another basket feeling yourself.

“Nothin but net baby!” You say flipping your hair snapping in his face.

“You mad cute” He says shooting making it in again, you shoot  making it. Miles misses his next shot.

“One more miss shot and you lose!!” You say making your shot, Miles mocked you shooting and missing.

“WHAT THAT SPELL H-O-R-S-E YOU LOSE!!” You shout proud of yourself.

“Sus inicios suerte,(It's beginner's luck), it's ok because you’re adorable lemme give you that cheek kiss mama”. Miles says grinning.

“Not if you can’t catch me”. You say running off, Miles groans chasing after you laughing your ass off. You look behind, seeing him catch up to you.

“Damn you run fast!”. You shout

“Duh I play basketball” Miles says sarcastically rolling his eyes, he catches up to you, wrapping his arms around your waist swaying you back and forth, kissing your cheek. The both of you stayed there catching your breaths. You smile to yourself, loving this moment until Miles starts tickling your sides.

“MILES STOP” You shout, laughing. Miles laughs with you because your laugh is really contagious. Laughter filled up the gyms absence of other students besides you two catching the gym teacher's attention from outside the gym

“Shouldn’t you two be in class, especially you Morales. We don’t want you getting detention when you have to be at practice later” The gym teacher spat.

“Yeah Morales” You say mockingly looking at Miles.

“Oh your not off the hook either Ms.Y/L/N” The gym teacher adds

“Yeah Ms.Y/L/N but we’re in study hall block we just don’t have any work to work on so we came to play some ball Coach Edwards” Miles explains.

“Okay just get back to the main class rooms before another teacher catches you before letting you off the hook lovebirds I was a teenager once two’. Mr. Edwards states leaving you two alone.

“He's right, let's go to the art room, it's always empty there right about this time” You state while getting your stuff.

“Aight lemme just throw this ugly ass uniform in my bag” He says getting his stuff together, you two walk to the art room being as quiet as possible not wanting to be caught. You guys sat down talking about nothing sharing headphones, that's your thing now, you learned Miles had a hobby of drawing from time to time.

“You wanna know something” You ask him

“What's up ma” He answers, giving you all of his attention.

“I would never think me and you would be talking”. You say shyly

“Why?” He says concerned.

“Because I would never think you would notice me because of the girls that constantly throw themselves at you  and the friends you have.” You explain

“Those girls don’t do it for me, they want attention so bad that they do anything to get it but you, you had my eye since day one. I just don’t understand why you're so shy, you have all rights to be outgoing, there is nothing wrong with you. I'm not saying there is” He responds. You go immediately quiet after his statement.

“What’s wrong mamita?” Miles asks, you didn’t answer him, you sat there in silence. 

“Está bien mamita, te escucharé(It 's okay mamita i’ll listen to you)” He says sincerely, you felt  comfortable enough to tell him what’s wrong. 

“I don’t like when people say there’s nothing wrong with me when they notice i’m shy or know i’m shy like, ok yeah im pretty but me being pretty doesn’t mean I have to be the loudest person in the room. it bothers me because maybe I don’t want to be popular having all the  attention for my looks and not for the person I am, then having boys only want you because of your status and the way your body looks, and not having them really like you, and everytime I find myself distancing myself away or pushing others away because  they fail to realize im human as well because i'm shy, Im- Im sorry miles. You rambled, Miles looked at you feeling horrible about what he said. 

“Mírame mamá déjame decirte algo,(look at me mama let me tell you something) I'm not one of those people who obviously don ‘t see you for who you are. I see you for Y/N, from the shyness, from the fire ass shoe game you got, from the giggles I hear when your with your friends, from when you’re quiet in class smiling to yourself listening to music, The Y/N that isn’t just a body, the Y/N that likes music, the Y/N that has a great time singing songs at the top of her lungs. Yeah I only walked you home, played horse with you, and only maybe started at you in class in the hallways but I saw so much personality in the little things. You will never have to distance yourself from me. I'm here to make you feel comfortable. You’re a beautiful soul to me” Miles stated looking at you. 

You felt loved and seen, looking at Miles' beautiful brown eyes as the sun gleamed on his skin just right as you were sitting next to a window, you felt speechless, you tried to talk but nothing came out. Miles smiled at you wanting to risk it all. You two were interrupted by the bell signaling it was time to go home. 

You met up with your friends smiling like an idiot. They look at you, then at Miles, then at each other. They wanted to know everything.

“Okay mami I can't walk you home due to practice but imma see you later” Miles says giving you a hug before walking to the gym.

“You have to tell us everything!” Aaliyah exclaimed.

***

You and your friends were at your house playing music helping you get ready for your date with Miles. You were in the shower while they were in your room suggesting things you should wear.

“I personally think you should wear a skirt boo show that bawdy baby” Ocean suggests 

“No I agree it's like 90 degrees” Aaliyah agrees

“I MEAN YEAH I'LL WEAR A SKIRT” You say shouting from the bathroom.

“But it's up to your comfortability” Aaliyah states.

“No i'm okay with a skirt it's hot as hell” You say coming out of the bathroom picking out your outfit.

“Okayyy i'm happy you showing your bawdy it's too hot for the baggy jean Y/N” Ocean says 

“Yeah we don’t want you suffocating” Aaliyah adds

“YOO ITS 6:00 HURRY UP” Ocean shouts, startling you.

“Damn okay” You say chuckling, getting dressed and admiring yourself. You’ve never worn a skirt in a long time, the last time you did you felt uncomfortable but around Miles he made you feel so comfortable to do anything or wear anything around him. You take a deep breath before doing a 360 for your friends. The finished look with your hair done, fit, and shoes(Or you can keep the mary jeans like in the picture).

“Girl when did you get your belly pierced”. Aaliyah asked 

“I got it done during the winter” You reply

“YOU NEVER TOLD US??” Ocean shouts.

“Nah I thought y'all would see it someday” You shrug 

“No but you look good as fuck” Aaliyah exclaims 

“AHHH thank you what time is it” You ask

“You really do. I love this moment for you. I'm really happy for you and it's 6:45” Ocean replies.

“Thank you guys!!” You say holding your arms open. They get up giving you a big bear hug,

“I'm happy for you baby”. Aaliyah says, While you and your friends were having a moment, your Mom heard a knock at the door answering it. She saw Miles with 2 bouquet’s of flowers in his hand.

“Hi Ms.Y/M/L/N Im Miles, these are for you and is Y/N ready?”  her gaze softens at Miles handing her the flowers still holding one for you.

“Yes she is, I'll call her Y/N MILES IS HERE FOR YOU”. Your mom shouts. You and Your friends' eyes widen shuffling to get out of your room. They walk out of your room first to give you the floor, you walk down the stairs like the bad bitch you’re. Your friends snap as you walk down  the stairs and your mom is looking at you with the biggest smile on your face. Was Miles shy fuck yes was he going to tell you that hell no. He saw you walk down the stairs gulping mumbling to himself. You finally come into close contact with him smelling his cologne, seeing the flowers in his hand.

“te ves hermosa mamá(you look beautiful), these flowers are for you” Miles stated looking you up and down making you shy.

“Awe thank you these are beautiful you didn’t have to Miles” You say looking at the flowers like you haven't seen them. the carnations, mixed with other flowers, the aesthetic of them were so beautiful, you weren't a flower person but he just made you into one. You put them in the vase right by the door.

“No, I definitely had to how am I supposed to take you out on our first date without a grand gesture. First times are always supposed to be special, beautiful”. Miles says tilting his head, not being able to keep his eyes off of you. You swear you could fall to your knees how he was looking at you.

“Yo-You are something else truly” You say smiling.

“Mhm and you love it ready to go?” Miles asks.

“Of course, see you guys tomorrow!!” You say while giving your mom and your friends hugs. 

“HAVE FUN, BUT NOT TOO MUCH FUN”. Your mom shoes while you're already out the door. You and Miles were in a comfortable silence walking out of your apartment to his car.

“I meant what I said when I said you look beautiful”. Miles breaks the silence making you smile.

“Thank you I could say the same about you, you smell good. I love the hair, and your outfit is gaza. Did you get it your hair done for this specific occasion?” You ask 

“Maybe maybe not, you did  wear a skirt for this occasion”. Miles replied callin your ass out.

“YEAHHH you're done” You say rolling your eyes. Miles chuckles, unlocking the car as it was in arms reach, you reach for the passenger side hearing a smack of the teeth.

“Nah you betta not this is my job now” He says opening the door for you were shocked, he closed the door walking around to the drivers side. Y'all didn't go anywhere yet and you were already smiling like an idiot.

“Thank you Miles.” You says shyly

“No problem mami that's what a man is supposed to do for their girl” Miles says starting the car pulling off, he hands you the aux. You connect your phone playing Heated by Beyonce, feeling yourself as you felt beautiful, Miles looked over a few times smiling as you were having fun

You sang along with Beyonce “Nevеr met a girl so fine like this, no, no, no, no, no With a waist that wine like this, my love”

Miles smirks at you “You right never met a girl as fine as you”. He says winking at you. You roll your eyes, chuckling, continuing to sing the song.

You start fanning yourself off as Beyonce says, body rolling enjoying yourself Miles looks over, shocked as you were letting loose.

“Get it mama!” He shouted hyping you up, you laughed looking at him.

“I know my life can get so crazy but as long as you're right here” You sing.

“None of the gossip, nothing can stop us.

I wanna love you with no fears” Miles sings right after.

“Close your eyes and take my hand 'Cause what we have is something special, Baby let's just take our chance” The both of you sing together, for the rest of the car ride you and Miles were listening to music. Miles suddenly parked and you were lost in your thoughts.

“We’re here hermosa” Miles announced, looking over at you. You nod your head about to get out of the car when you notice miles was already opening the door for you.

“You’re such a gentleman” you say getting out the car, Miles locked the car and you looked ahead of you. It was a record store you always wanted to visit one, but you thought they were all gone or abandoned. Miles looked behind him, seeing you admire the front of the store with a smile plastered on his face.

“Come on hermosa it gets better inside!” Miles exclaims, holding the door for you. You enter the record store in awe, you were in awe. You saw all the vinyls that you wanted, Lana del rey, The Weekend, Sza, Drake, New Jeans, Victoria Monet, Brent faiyez etc.

“Miles, how did you know I wanted to come here?��� You ask looking up at him.

“I took a hint and used my context clues music is your thing and you get very passionate talking about it so I took my chances” Miles explained

“You’re truly amazing” You say wanting to kiss him, looking up at him while he was explaining. Miles blushed a little, hiding his face.

“Omg I saw that splash of pink on your cheeks did Miles Morales just blush” You say gasping dramatically.

“Absolutely not,” Miles denies.

“If you're not blushing stop hiding that pretty face from me” You say pouting, Miles looks at you smiling.

“aight you caught me” Miles rolls his eyes.

“Awe my baby so cute” you say chuckling, realizing what you said.

“Oh I’m your baby now?” Miles asks, you got shy scratching your head.

“Yes” you blurred out without even thinking about your answer. Miles nodded his head, liking that answer.

“Hold up do a 360 f’me mama lemme see you” Miles says looking down at you, you do what he says weak in the kneeeeeees.

“I’m sorry you just look so beautiful standing in front of me” Miles states. You walk away from him not being able to breathe, he’s making you so flustered it’s crazy. He laughs to himself following you, wrapping his arms around your waist. resting his chin on your head, rocking you to the song playing in the background(Loveee song by Rihanna). You smile to yourself looking through the vinyls in front of you. It was quiet for about 10 minutes before you moved to another section.

Miles followed you around the store loving every second of it. You were definitely talking his ear off but he didn’t mind, he loved your own takes on what certain albums were about and the symbolism certain songs have. He loved how you were so perfect in your little world, something so simple as explaining songs and or talking about your favorite albums made him even more attracted to you.

“I literally have to have you listen to the Renaissance album by beyoncé because she ate” You exclaimed

“I’m down for that” Miles replied, staring at you. You noticed smiling.

“what you starin at something on my shirt?” You ask.

“Nah you real pretty mama” Miles replied.

“Oh my god” You say, rolling your eyes.

“You wanna buy any of these vinyls hermosa?” Miles asks. You nod your head, speed walking to the New Jeans Super Shy album.

“Power puff girls?” He asks, tilting his head.

“No, that's just the album cover, and their aesthetic you got a lot of music to listen to my love” You say chuckling, he smiles at that name.

“You only want that one?” He asks, you nod your head. The both of you walk to the cashier, you prepare to pay but already slid the cash on the counter.

“Miles you didn’t have to” You say pouting.

“I did you out with me you don’t gotta spend your money and it was cheap you good ma” He responds walking out the store. You follow behind him.

“Wanna go to the arcade across the street?” Miles asks.

“OF COURSE I'M BOUTTA KICK YOUR ASS AT THOSE GAMES '' You shout!

“OH PLEASE” He shouted back, "you guys cross the street entering the arcade. You and Miles hit basketball first (of course athletic ass nigga),He beat you but you were delusional.

“YEAHHH I BEAT YOU” you shout prancing around.

“Nuh uh” Miles says

“Fuck you mean nuh uh the scores is right there!” you say pointing to score of 25 to 13 💀,Miles holds his laughs back letting you brag.

“okay okay mamita you beat me” Miles says walking to ski ball, you follow him with the biggest smile on his face. You and Miles play every game up in that arcade you had the upper hand on Mileses winning streak.

“See I told you i’ll kick your ass” You say, Miles had his eyes on a game with a big ass teddy bear hanging on the side of it. He was determined to win you one. He suddenly disappeared and you saw him, throwing balls at bottles. He was so focused. You stood next to him watching, he only had one more left to hit and he hit it. You clapped at his victory.

“Here you go!” The host says giving Miles a huge hello kitty plush. Miles then gave it to you, you looked at the plush in awe. You squealed, hugging it. Miles rushed to get his phone out taking a picture of you hugging the plush, It was adorable.

“awe thank you baby…” You say skipping around with the plush, Miles smiled at you witnessing you so happy thinking, ‘i'm the only one that gets to see her like this’. He snaps out of his trance.

“Mamita let’s go get some food!” He states.

“Yes I'm starvinggg” You say skipping over to him, holding his hand, Miles was shock feeling the warmth of your hand fill his. Miles looks down seeing you hold the plush so close to you. You and Miles walk around a bit to find something to eat. You two decided on Chipotle something simple.

You sat your plushie down in an empty chair right next to you, while Miles sat across from you. You were stuffing rice in your face, Miles looked at you laughing his ass off.

“Damn little lady, you can sure put it away”. He says, cackling.

“Youu soooooo funny” You muttered.

“I'm sorry that was funny as hell”. Miles states, you mock him rolling your eyes.

“I don’t even sound like that” Miles declared.

“Mhm sure…” You say laughing to yourself, you couldn’t lie miles looked cute while he was eating his food. You took your phone out taking a picture of him, He glared at you.

“What, I'm sorry you looked like a cute chipmunk!”. You exclaimed

“You’re so lucky you're cute”. Miles says finishing up his food, You and Miles cleaned up the table, taking pictures in the window. You weren’t a picture person and so wasn’t Miles but, when you two are together it's all you wanna do with Miles to keep the memories. You and Miles were wandering around Manhattan taking pictures of random things well, you were taking pictures of random things, he was taking pictures of you taking pictures of random things. You took a quick glimpse at Miles and he looked exhausted. 

“Are you tired Miles? we can go back to your house” You say examining his face. He shakes his head, giving you a tired smile.

“No no you're sleepy it's okay” You say, Grabbing his hand walking back to his car, he let you drag him back to the car, it was a new feeling that he liked. Miles unlocks the car, still making sure to open the car door for you before he gets in. You and Miles sat in, comfortable silence considering the both of you were tired, you looked at your plushie, then at your vinyl smiling to yourself. The music in the background (Heal your heart by brent faiyaz), made this moment better for the both of you. Before you knew it, You were at Miles’s house, you were nervous to be honest what if his mom was home, your thoughts were interrupted by Miles opening the door for you.

Walking to his door number he picked up on your nervousness. 

“Don’t worry hermosa she’s gonna love you”. Miles says, unlocking the house door, you take a deep breath walking in right after him. 

“Hola mami” Miles greets his mother as she is in the kitchen. Today was her day off and he was confused why she was still awake at this time.

“Hola Mrs.Morales Im-'' Before you could finish your sentence, she rushed into the living room to greet you.

“You’re the famous Y/N. It's nice to meet you, wait you speak spanish”, Mrs.Morales greeted you.

“Yes, just a little I have to brush up on some phrases”. You say, giving her a smile.

“What am I chopped liver?”. Miles says, crossing his arms.

“Lo siento hijo su saludo me tomó por sor (Sorry son her greeting took me by surprise), did my son win that bear for you” Mrs. Morales says apologizing, while asking you.

“Yes he did, he did a great job”. You say, nodding your head looking at Miles giving him a warm smile. You and Mrs.Morales sit down talking about your date, yourself, and everything you like about Miles building a bond with his mother. He watched leaning on a door frame smiling to himself.

“My two girls” He says yawning smiling to himself, heading for bed.

[miley-citrus]

ꕤ Tell Me ꕤ

Pairing: Black Reader x Connie Springer

Word Count: 2.5k

CW(content warning): straight smut. (mention of drugs)

𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆

You loved him or well you believed you loved him. He was always on “business” trips to the point you never had time to love him. To show him how much you cared for him like no one ever cared for you.

I didn't know how it felt to be loved anymore. That's if Eren even loved you in the first place. That was until Connie came along. You loved him like a best friend. Or well you thought.

Eren was out of town for his weekly business trip. So you decided to hang out with his best friend Connie like you always did when he was away. Connie had some drops to do and said he could pick you up after he was done. But you insisted on coming with him anyways. Finishing freshening up you hear a car pull up outside your window. You look at your phone vibrate on the dresser.

Connie<33: outside mama 

You: comingg

You hurry and put your lip gloss on. Grabbing your phone and purse in the process. Making your way to the front door, closing it behind you. You start walking down the front porch stairs to his car. Standing outside the car door he greets you with a toothy smile. “Hi pretty” he cheeses. “Hi Con” you smile back. He immediately opens the door for you to get in. After closing your door he makes his way around to the driver's side. The smell of weed and cologne immediately hits your nose when you enter the car. 

“You ready to go pretty?” he says putting his seatbelt on. You turn to look at him making sure to check him out in the process. “I'm ready as long as I get to pick the music” you say. He laughs before answering “Yes of course you can pick the music. You have the best taste out of the two of us anyways” “Glad we established that” you say.

Grabbing his phone out of the cupholder you put in his password and click on your playlist. The first song to play is “Show me by Joey Bada$$”. Putting your freshly painted white toes on his dashboard, you sing along to the song. “Tell me how you loved before” Looking at you he smiles at you like you're the prettiest girl in the world. You look back at him and smile back with nothing but happiness in your eyes.

He loves seeing you smile since he's used to you being down all the time because his best friend-your boyfriend isn't showing you any attention. Finally arriving at the first “customer's” house he asks you to grab the duffel bag in the backseat. Taking your seatbelt off, you reach over to the backseat grabbing the bag. Connie getting a good look at your ass in the small denim shorts you were wearing in the process. 

Handing the bag to him he takes out a small clear bag filled with god knows what. Throwing the black duffel bag back in the backseat he tells you to stay in the car and then lock the door. “I'll be back just stay in the car” he says. You nod and do as he says.

He walks up to the house and knocks on the door. Some guy with long brown hair opens the door and lets him in. You decide to get on your phone until he comes out. Ten minutes pass by and walks out of the house dapping the guy up before walking back to the car. You unlock the door letting him back in. 

You ask him if you were going back to his place to watch a movie. “Yes if that's what you want mama” he smiles. Starting to drive to his place you turn the music back up. You scream along to the songs until you arrive at his house. He turns off the car and opens his door to run around and help you out of the car.

You look up at him and say “You know you dont have to keep opening and closing the door for me” He frowns before replying “Pretty girls deserve to be treated as princesses” You laugh and push him away walking up to the house.

He comes up behind you unlocking the door to let you inside. You immediately make your way to the kitchen opening the pantry door. You grab a bag of microwavable popcorn and put it in the microwave. “CONNIE” you yell. “Yes y/n” he replies

“Can you pick a movie to watch please” He stayed silent for a minute until he thought of one. “Transformers Revenge of the Fallen” You smile “Yea hoe I put you onto Transformers foreal” He laughs before replying “Watch your mouth..but yes you put me on y/n.” 

After getting the popcorn out of the microwave and grabbing some drinks. You both walk to go sit on the couch. Grabbing the remote he starts the movie. You get comfortable with your snack and recline with your legs laying over Connie.

He lays his arms on your legs. After a couple of minutes into the movie, he starts rubbing up and down your thighs. You dont think much of it because you're so into the movie. That's until he starts to rub higher close to the top of your shorts. Your breathing starts to speed up. “C-Connie” you whisper. “Yes pretty” he turns to you.

“You know we shouldn't be doing this right now. Eren is your best friend and my boyfriend” you mumble. “My “best friend” treats you like shit. Just let me show you how you're supposed to be treated.” You look down and fumble with your fingers until he lifts up your head with his finger.

“Please pretty?” he sighs. You give in with a small head nod. He continues rubbing up your thighs until he gets to your pussy. He rubs you through the outside of your shorts stimulating your clit. Feeling the pool of wetness start to form in your underwear you start to squirm around. 

Removing his hands away from your clit he looks up at you for permission to take off your shorts. You nod. Sliding the shorts he starts to trace the curves on your body. You move your legs off of him and crawl onto his lap. Taking his face into your hands you look him in the eyes.

“I’ve been waiting forever to be in this moment with you” he speaks. “So have I” you whisper. Moving your face closer to his your lips graze over his. This goes on for a while until he can't take it anymore. Crashing his lips upon yours his tongue made his way through your parted lips.

Gliding his hands from your hips he snakes his hands up to your throat. Lightly grasping it but enough to restrict some of your airflow. Continuing this heated kiss your body starts reacting to what's going on. Grinding your hips on his crotch you feel a bulge start to form under you. “fuck” he groans under his breath.

“You must've really been waiting for this the way your grinding against me” he speaks. You dont answer, mind to fogged up by the stimulation his dick is giving your clit through your thin panties. “Hm pretty? Answer me” he thrusts his hips up hitting a spot that makes you gasp. “F-fuck yes Connie” you cry.

Liking your reply he smiles and then begins kissing down your neck. Fixed on leaving noticeable marks for people to say. One of those people is Eren for sure. He didn't care how pissed Eren would get if he saw these marks. He wanted to show him that he could treat Y/n much better than he ever could.

Creeping his hand up to your chest he plays with your nipple through the thin skimpy fabric you call a shirt. Feeling you had no bra on he drops his head to your boobs. Wrapping his lips around your nipple he flicks it with his tongue. “ngh” you moan. A wet patch formed on his pants from all of the grinding you were doing. You were getting sick of the teasing. “Connie stop teasing me and just fuck me already. Please” you begged. 

Sympathizing for you he quickly picks you up and makes his way to his bedroom. Not missing a chance to strike your ass. “Ow,” you cry. Laying you on the bed he throws his wife beater off slinging it somewhere across the room. You begin taking off the rest of your clothes as he does the same. Catching a glimpse of his dick in the lowly dim room you start rubbing your legs together.

You thought he was big but not…this big.

Missing the touches he burned into your skin you pull him onto the bed. Opening your legs you allow him in between them. He lays in between your legs snaking his hand back to your aching cunt. You and him could both feel the slick forming around his fingers.

Lifting himself back up you could feel his mushroom tip press against your hole. Your wetness coating his dick in self-made lubricant. All you could think about right now was if he was going to fit or not. Eren had a good size just like Connie but he was much thicker. Girthy.  

He could feel your body tense up. “Relax mama, just let me take care of you” he speaks. You silently nod and relax your body as much as you could. Believing you were ready he pushed slowly inside you. “O-oh f-fuck” you moan. It was like the air had been knocked out of you. This wasn't your first time but it sure as hell felt like it.

You felt so full it was making your head foggy. He let you take a breath and get used to it before you told him it was okay to move. “You c-can move Connie” you breathe. Slowly rocking into you the pain starts to subdue. “F-faster” you say. Picking up the pace every quick snap of his hips has you clenching painfully around his dick. 

“Damn pretty, you get so tight for me” he groans. Wrapping your legs around his back to feel his thrusts get deeper. He lays a hand on your lower tummy and asks “You see how good I'm filling you up right now”

Tired of you not answering when he asks the first time he grips your neck to move your face closer to his. Still not missing a beat in thrusting up into your cunt. “Answer me when I'm talking to you mama” he demands. You immediately answer back not being able to take his hard thrusts. “Y-yes yes s-so good Con” you wail. 

Letting the grip on your neck go he lets you fall back down on the sheets. Lifting your legs up by your ears he thrusts even deeper into your cunt. It honestly seemed impossible for him to get even deeper than he was. “Oh.my.god. C-con” Your body really couldn't take it anymore. Your legs were shaking uncontrollably above your head.

Moving your hand towards his pelvis you try to push him away from you to stop his hard thrusts. “C-cant con. C-cant take a-anymore” you beg. He knew you could take it that's why he didn't care what you were crying about. He was determined to have you cream around his dick. 

“You can take it pretty. I know you can so move your hand.” he groans. You weren't listening to him at all. You were still scratching at his pelvis. “Y/n. Move your fucking hand before I move it for you.” Your mind was so mixed up at the moment. You didn't care what happened if you didn't move your hand. Grabbing your hand he moves it to the side. He slips out of your cunt flipping you onto your hands and knees. “Arch.” he says.

Oh, he was pissed and you didn't want to piss him off even more so you do as he says and arch. Feeling up on your ass he spreads you open trying to see the slick running out of your cunt. “You have the prettiest pussy you know that mama” he speaks. You groan trying to close your legs embarrassed about being so exposed. 

The cold draft in the room had your pussy clenching on nothing but air. “You told me you can't take it but your pussy is telling me something different” he smirks. Rubbing his tip up and down your slit he slips back inside of you. Both of you gasping at the feeling.

He immediately starts the same pace again. All that can be heard in the room is you and his groans and sounds of you and his mixed cum. “So fucking good” Connie groaned. You felt yourself starting to get close. You started matching his thrusts, clapping your ass against his thighs. 

Lifting your body up to his chest by the back of your neck he leans down to whisper in your ear. “Tell me how good I'm making you feel right now pretty” “s-so good Con” you gasp. “Could Eren fuck you this good? Make you cream around his dick like this? hm?” Connie asks. “N-No Connie” you reply. Delighted with your reply he lets your neck go. Falling back onto his soft cologned-filled sheets you continue clawing at them. Feeling you getting so close he snacks a hand over to your clit. Rubbing the nub in quick circles. 

This newly added feeling has you crying into the sheets. Juices dripped onto his palm and sheets. “ Come on pretty girl. Come around my dick” Speeding up the pace of his thrusts and clit has you and him both twitching. Groaning into the sheets you gasp “I’m cumming”

A couple more thrusts pressures you into making a mess on his dick and his sheets. “O-oh f-fuck con” “dont hold back pretty. Let it all out ” he says. That's exactly what you do. You wet up all of his abdomen with your juices. After tightening even harder around him it causes him to spill his seed inside you. 

Giving you a couple more thrusts to ride out your high he pulls out of you. Your body immediately collapses onto the sheets. At this time you're just trying to catch your breath and think about what just happened. Connie gets up from the bed and quickly runs to the bathroom to get a warm washcloth to clean you up. Coming back to the bedroom he gently cleans you up trying his best not to make you uncomfortable. Your body is still shaking and twitching some but he can see you're thinking about something.

After cleaning both you and him up. He gets a blanket to cover you both up. “Just rest pretty, we can think and talk about what just happened in the morning. Ok?” he speaks. You reply with a small yes and snuggle up against him trying to sleep. Before falling asleep Connie makes one more comment. 

“Erens going to murder the both of us and hide our bodies” 

𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆𖦆

[notapradagurl7]

The Return.

Black Fem! Reader x Unique!husband.

Summary: After six months of his recovery from the brutal beating from his brother, Ronnie and finally getting everything back, the first thing Unique does is return home to you. You almost couldn't believe it but your husband was alive.

A/N: Here’s something cute about Unique, enjoy! ❤️ don’t forget to reblog, comment and like to support, remember don’t be afraid to send in a request they’re always open.

Warnings: angst, praise, rough sex, biting, spanking, consensual intimacy, use of AAVE, mention of violence, established marriage, hair pulling.

Taglist: @megamindsecretlair @satoruya @planetblaque

@playgurlxoxo @dabratzchronicles

@becauseimswagman1

@cocooned-butterfly @beenathembo @brattyfics

@hxneyclouds @henneseyhoe

@nahimjustfeelingit-writes @nayaesworld @ovohanna24

@novahreign @siqueth @avoidthings @kimuzostar @slippinninque @keyera-jackson @theblacklewinsky

@euphorichappiness10 @life-in-the-slut-house @jazziejax @ranikyani @naj-ay444

@uniqueoutlierblog @mama-2001

@fakxmbj @kaylalb @theereina @uzumaki-rebellion @blyffe @kumkaniudaku @ranikyani @luckydaye777 @foxybrownsugababe @caashmoneynae

————

Southside, Jamaica Queens. ‘93

His snow-white polished Beamer gently rolled onto the driveway of your house, with his deep brown eyes locked onto the familiar beige interior of it, the small windows covered by black curtains spanned across it, and small green bushes cornered the sides of the house.

Beloved memories of you and him remained in his mind, choosing to keep them as close as possible.

He killed the engine, the low rumble fading into an unsettling silence as he reached for the door handle. Outside, Unique stepped out cautiously, a tight grip around his emotions in the forceful slam of the door.

There he was in the flesh, Kadeem “Unique” Mathis. The man came from the dead, the man took over the corners of Queens. Asserting his control over the streets, putting the fear back in people who looked his way, or even walked the same street as him.

The soles of his beige timberlands clicked sharply against the uneven cobblestones, each step echoing into the night as he made his way toward the front door of the black lumber, its dark facade looming like a shadow.

Unique paused before the door, drawing in a shaky breath that felt heavy in his lungs. He exhaled softly, feeling the anxiety creeping around him like a tightening fog, his mind a frantic whirlpool of anxious thoughts.

His thoughts, distorted and fragmented, raced to piece together the chaotic reality surrounding him. He focused, forcing himself to latch onto the crucial details of the moment, and despite the turmoil, he found clarity.

He had severed Raquel’s connect to her drug supply, dismantling the very foundation of her business. The gravity of his actions settled heavily upon him and in the heart of Queens, intertwining with the sharpness of his thoughts.

His hand reached out, and hovering over the doorknob.

Why was he so nervous?

Unique suffered a brutal beating from his brother, Ronnie who bashed his head in with a steel pipe. After that, Unique crawled himself out of the woods, and called Early Tyler to save him that looming night.

The scars were still on the right of his head, but he didn't let it break him. Unique wanted to those scars to be a reminder of how resilient he was, and how he fought to survive.

But still, Unique wished a thousand times for it to only be him to kill Ronnie instead of Kanan, to be the one to end the madness on his own.

Ever since that night, Unique made it his mission to recover, and worked his way up. Ronnie was dead, and his enemy Raquel was still fighting hard and strong to get her spot back.

For the first time, Unique was nervous about revealing himself to you. He imagined the scenario in his head so many times, knowing that you would cry, possibly scream as if you saw a ghost. Or you would just hug him.

Words couldn't even explain how much he missed your presence, your laugh, your smile and everything else about you.

He missed you so much.

Without hesitation, he knocked on the door twice. He heard the footsteps approaching the door, Unique exhaled softly, relishing to still feel the oxygen in his lungs.

“Who the fuck is it—” You yelled but the moment you opened the door, your breath caught in your throat.

There he was, the man you thought you’d lost forever. He sported a black and red

Unique stood there, looking just as handsome as ever, with that charming smirk playing on his lips, those familiar top-row gold grills glistened, but the wear of battle lingered in his eyes.

“What’s up Y/N?” he breathed, his voice low and rough, the sound washing over you like a warm wave.

“Kadeem? Baby, is that really you?” You stepped back, disbelief coloring your voice.

“Yeah, baby, it’s me. I'm home,” He took a step forward, and the way his eyes locked onto yours made your heart race.

You stepped aside, as he walked inside the house and he closed the door behind himself, his eyes scanning the familiar surroundings. The scent of lavender and peppermint filled his nostrils.

Unique sported a red and black satin bomber jacket, underneath a crisp white tee shirt that hugged his toned chest. His dark pants tapered down to the fresh white sneakers, you could see the gleam of gold chains layered around his neck and his right ear was adorned with a gold hoop earring.

You noticed the way his hair was freshly styled, the curls cropped close but still showing off the texture.

“Home?” You whispered, shaking your head, tears falling from your eyes. Your husband wiped your tears away.

“Damn right I am, missed you like crazy, baby girl,” he said, a playful glint in his gaze.

You didn’t waste a second; you flung yourself into his arms, feeling the warmth of his body envelop you. “I thought I lost you for good, the police told me that your body was gone,” you sobbed, holding onto him tightly, as if you were afraid he would disappear again.

“Never, I ain’t goin’ nowhere, and I promise I’m here to stay. You know that?” Unique murmured into your locs, pressing a kiss to your forehead and lips.

You pulled back to look into his eyes, the scars on his head made your eyes flick toward it. “Ronnie did this to you? I heard he was dead but you look different…I mean, the scars…”

“Yeah, they remind me of where I been, but Ronnie ain’t break me,” he said, brushing your fingers over the scar on his head.

You nodded, feeling a swell of pride for the man in front of you. “I’m just glad you’re alive, Unique. I missed you so much.”

“Missed you too, baby,” he said, his voice softening. “Now, come here.” He pulled you close again, holding you tightly, as if he never wanted to let go.

“Let’s get you something to eat, I made dinner, but you can get some sleep and you must be tired,” you replied, trying to regain your composure.

“I ain’t tired, but I’m hungry for you,” he teased, a mischievous smirk on his face. “But I’ll take your love too, that’s my favorite dish.”

You laughed, a light sound that felt foreign after all the worry and dread of the past months. “You always know how to lighten the mood, huh?”

“Only for you, baby. I got time today and I got a lotta love to give, and I’m ready to show you just how much I love you,” he smirked, he leaned closer.

You felt your cheeks heat up, the emotion in the room shifting filled the air. “Unique. I want you.”

“Good,” he smirked, pulling back to look you in the eyes.

He leaned down, smashing your lips. You melted into his lips by kissing him back, your hands gripped his arms as he deepened the kiss, pouring all of his pent-up longing into that moment.

“Damn, I missed you,” he murmured against your lips, his hands roaming your waist, pulling you closer.

“Can I ask you something Kadeem?”

He nodded in response, waiting for you to speak. “Of course you can, beautiful,” he said. You exhaled before looking up at his eyes, your hand rested against his cheek.

“Were you giving me money in my mailbox in those past months?”

“Yes, it was me. I wanted to provide you while I was layin’ low, it killed me that I wasn't there for you, Y/N,” Unique confessed to you.

“I knew that I wasn't losin’ my mind, because I knew that it wasn't Raquel sending me that shit, it was you, baby,” You smirked with light chuckle.

“Baby,” you breathed, feeling the heat between you. “You have no idea how scared I was. I couldn’t—”

“Shh,” he interrupted, placing a finger over your lips. “Ain’t no need to dwell on the past, baby. We here now, and I’m makin’ sure you know how much I love you.”

With quickness, he swept you off your feet, carrying you into the room, the door slamming shut behind you. You giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck as he kicked off his boots, the warmth of his body against yours.

“Now, let’s make up for lost time, yeah?” he said, setting you down on the bed. His lips ghosting over yours, peppering kisses along your lips.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” you replied, pulling him down for another kiss, taking off your clothes as he did the same.

The two of you were laid against each other naked, he hovered you and your melanated skin was kissed tenderly as he gently spread your legs apart. He looked down at you, and kissed you again but it was passionately.

With a gentle thrust, he filled you up completely and you moaned wildly, you immediately broke the kiss as he began thrusting at a faster pace, Unique still remembered how you liked it in the bedroom with him, the thickness of his dick pulsed inside you. He felt so good, “Oh..fuck!” you mewled, nails scratching at his back.

Burying his face into the warmth of your neck, sinking his teeth into your skin. Leaving hickeys in his path, Unique wanted you to feel every inch of him as if it was the first time, not the last time. “I missed you so fuckin’ much, I'm sorry, I love you,” he groaned, pulling away to look away.

“Kadeem, don't be sorry…i love you too,” You gasped sharply, your nails digging into his shoulder. Unique brought his body closer to yours to feel more of that heat, each thrust made your body quiver and twitch.

Your wetness created a pool in his lap. “Damn girl,” he grunted lowly, reaching out for your breasts and fondling them, It felt like a dream come true to him, to be finally reunited with you.

The bed creaked underneath both of you adding to the intensity of the sound of your ass clapping against his thighs, “So fucking..good,” You panted, eyelids closing shut, the cold metal of his rings made your nipples erect, and you let out a unrecognizable moan.

He fisted your locs in his hand and pulled you back in a sloppy kiss, deepening the kiss again as you responded by tangling your tongue with his, “Good girl,” he murmured against your lips, thrusting more forcefully.

The way your pussy made his dick disappear ever so perfectly elicited low groans from him, He continued to thrust into you forcefully causing your essence to pour out, each stroke fast and filled with passion. “Look at you, that pussy cummin’ already?” he teased, His hand wrapped around your neck, forcing you to look at him, grinning evilly at your reaction.

He loved the way you responded to him, the way your hips moved in rhythm with his. Unique had missed this—missed you—more than he could ever put into words. His hand delivered a rough smack onto your ass, “Y-yes! I'm cumming!”

You felt the wave of pleasure crash over you, your body trembling beneath him, your essence pouring onto his dick as you cried out his name. Unique followed suit, his warm cun spilling into you as he groaned your name. He kissed the side of your face, before he kissed your lips again.

“Damn, baby,” he panted, collapsing onto the bed beside you, both of you gasping for breath. You turned to face him, a soft smile gracing your lips as you traced the outline of his jaw with your fingers. “I missed you.”

Unique turned to you, his eyes softening as he pulled you close. “I missed you too.”

“I don’t want to ever lose you again, Unique. Promise me you’ll always come back to me,” you murmured, your heart aching at the thought of being separated again.

“I promise, baby,” he replied, his voice steady and filled with sincerity.

As you nestled into his side, feeling the warmth of his body against yours, the pain of losing him was finally gone, he was here. “Now, let’s get some sleep, and in the morning,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

You nodded, feeling safe and content as you drifted off to sleep in the arms of the man you loved. He brought the blanket close to your bodies before falling asleep next to you.

————-

[blackelysian]

I KNEW HE WASN’T FUCKING DEAD! 50 cent better not be playing with me!!😩😩

[jazziejax]

𝐍𝐨.

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - Kadeem ‘Unique’ Mathis x Black!OC

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 - Sometimes, having too much heart could be the death of you. It’s the main reason Mo acted the way she did, the answer was always no if it was t in her best interest. But for some reason, when trouble was dragged into her home, saying no was harder than ever.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 - use of the n-word, mentions of violence, injury, language, mild angst, and a character struggling with head trauma-induced mood swings.

𝐉𝐚𝐳𝐳𝐢𝐞’𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 - this was more for me than anyone else, idk if yall get done with Joey over here like that. UNEDITED, sorry for any grammar mistakes and spelling errors. Hope you guys enjoy!!

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 - 6, 055+

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞, 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐰𝐨,

𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐜𝐚, 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟑

The orange streetlights outside cast long shadows over the brownstone’s stoop as Early sighed, tapping his fingers against his watch leaned against the side of his car. This was the third huff of breath he let out, becoming another as his eyes flickered around him, taking in the sound of the never sleeping city.

He looked up at the sound of the door unlocking, watching as his cousin emerged from the inside. She stood in the dim glow of the moonlight and the street lamps, coming out in an oversized Knicks T-shirt, her hair wrapped up in a silk scarf with rollers and Teddy bear slippers. Her fine was sure of hunched, her arms folded to offer herself some sort of beat so she wasn’t shivering in the cold.

She walked down her steps, a scowl on her face e at the sight of her shady and lowdown ass cousin.

They didn’t exchange any words she when stood before him, she just started at his tired face with her usual glare. She then aggressively shrugged at him, urging the man to bring up what this entire impromptu meeting at 2:30am was about. Early just sighed before leaning off of the truck and moving from in front of the door. She blinked at him before her eyes glanced into the window be no longer blocked. Her eyes landed on an unconscious man in his passenger seat.

Her deep brown eyes flickered from Early to the broken man beside him, and instantly, her expression soured more than before.

“No.”

Her tone was flat as she shrugged her shoulders with crossed her arms.

Early sighed. “Mo, c’mon.”

“No.” She repeated, firmer this time. “You know what time it is, Early? And you got the nerve to be knocking on my door with—” She gestured at man. “—this?Whatever this is, I ain’t interested.”

Early rubbed his forehead. “Look, I just need you to let him crash for a few days.”

Mo’nique cocked her head at him, a deep scowl on her face. “And why the hell would I do that?”

“‘Cause I ain’t got time to be playin’ caretaker.” Early said, exasperated. “You got a good heart. And a nursing license.”

Mo’nique scoffed. “You must think I’m stupid or some, nigga? What the hell did you bring to my doorstep, Earl?”

Early scratched his chin, looking anywhere but at her. “A favor, Mo. I did what I had to do, but I ain’t got time to be playin’ caretaker. I just need you to keep an eye on him ‘til he back on his feet.” He said. But Mo’s face didn’t change, she just started at the man, blinking once. Early hesitated, closing his eye and letting out a brief sigh before he then tried a different approach. “He ain’t got nobody else right now, Mo.” He said, staring at the younger woman with a slight solemn look. “He’s a good brotha in a bad situation.” He said.

She exhaled deeply, her gaze shifting back to Unique. He hadn’t said a word, leaned against the window, and he could see his labored breathing from where she stood. Her face was hardened into a frown as she looked back at her cousin, giving the man a duty look up and down. Finally, Mo’nique stepped aside. “Get him inside before my neighbors start asking questions.” She mumbled. Early let out a small sight at that, being his head in a quick prayer and a gesture of gratitude to the woman before him. He didn’t waste time. He guided Unique through the door, helping him onto the couch. Unique sank into it with a quiet wince, eyes closing for a moment.

She didn’t even linger to help Earky get the man out of the car, just turned on her heel to hold the door open for the men. She stood about ten feet away from the truck, watching as her cousin helped Unique out of the car. He was barely able to stand, leaning heavily against the door once he was up, his breathing ragged.

Early held the man up with a sigh, glancing down at him. “Man, you better not bleed on this lady couch. She’ll kill you ‘fore whatever did this to you finish the job. He strained out. Unique didn’t respond, just blinked sluggishly, his breath shallow.

Once he was closer, Mo’nique could see the quick stitch work on his face was holding, but he still looked like hell—bruises swelling, his jacket damp with blood that hadn’t fully dried, even though it looked like he changed. “What’s his name?” She asked as they stumbled up her steps, arms crossed. “They paused briefly in front of her, her cousin blinking at her before he answered.

“Unique.” He said, but there was a grumble of the same name from the man that held him. Early glanced at the beaten brotha in his arms, shaking his head subtly. Mo’nique just hummed. “Right.” She said before letting out a small sigh, not even questioning the weird name of the entirely odd situation.

Earl guided Unique through the door, helping him onto the couch. Unique sank into it with plush but old sofa with a quiet wince, eyes closed.

Mo’nique eased her way over to stand above him, arms still crossed. She furrowed her brows, looking at his face in the new lighting of her table side lamps. She slight winced. “You need to go to a hospital.”

Unique let out a soft groan and shook his head slowly. “Can’t.” His voice was rough, barely above a whisper. Mo’nique blinked down at the man before her eyes drifted to her cousin. “You owe me, nigga. Big time.” She said, looking him up and down. Earl sighed. “I’ll get you your money when he’s able to give me mine.” He said, gesturing over to Unique.

“Nah, you’ll get me what I ask you to get me, when I ask.” She stated firmly. Early let out a sharp sigh, becoming pissed off with the woman but trying not to show it. “Aight, Mo, damn.” He said, scoffing softly at her. Mo’nique exhaled sharply before her gaze drifted back over to the man on her couch, eyes scanning Unique from head to toe. She was no fool. She’d seen hurt men before—neighbors, old boyfriends, folks who got caught up in things they shouldn’t have. And a man like him? The kind that avoided hospitals? That meant trouble.

And just let it walk on through her home and onto her couch.

She shifted her weight, glancing back over at her cousin. “How long?”

“Uh, a couple days.” Early gave her a tight smile with a meek shrug.

Mo’nique narrowed her eyes. “That’s what you say.” She scoffed.

Unique, still barely upright, lifted a shaky hand. “Just need a place to lay low.” He muttered in a barely audible and scratchy voice. Mo’nique wasn’t to sure if he could hear everything they were saying or not, but there were money where he genuinely look knifed out, so maybe they were fading in and out to him.

Mo’nique studied the tattered man for a beat longer, then sighed, stepping aside. “Fine. But if he dies in here, that’s on you, Early.”

Early clapped his hands together at that. “Aight, well… my job here is done.” He said with a small sigh.

Mo’nique shot him a glare. “You better get me my money for this, Early.”She warned again, only to get waved off by the older man. “Yeah, yeah. You two play nice.” He said.

Early grinned, patting Unique on the shoulder before turning back to walk to the front door. “You’ll be good, Nique. Mo’nique here got a soft spot for helpless things.” He said before letting out a small laugh.

Mo’nique shot him a glare. “Nigga, get the fuck outta my house.” She said as she waked behind him to the front door. She shut and locked the door behind him, engulfing the house in its usual silence that Mo’Nique enjoyed. She let out a tried sigh before moving back over to her living room.

Mo’nique studied him for a beat. Then, without another word, she disappeared into the bathroom off side of the living room hall. When she returned, she had a first-aid kit in one hand and a damp washcloth in the other.

She didn’t waste time. She had work in a few hours, and she wanted to get at least a little more sleep before her alarm went off.

Settling onto the edge of the couch, she pressed the warm cloth against his skin, gently wiping away the dried blood and grime. Unique barely stirred, his breathing slow and heavy. He was out cold, but every now and then, his eyes fluttered open, hazy and unfocused. He didn’t say anything, just blinked sluggishly before his lids drooped shut again.

Mo’nique didn’t bother speaking either. There was no need. She just worked in silence, making quick, light passes over his face—no harsh scrubbing, no stinging antiseptics. She wasn’t trying to wake him up, just clean him up enough so he didn’t bleed all over her couch.

Once she was satisfied, she dabbed a little ointment over the worst of the swelling. He barely reacted. His body was too drained to flinch.

With a small sigh, she tossed the cloth aside and snapped the first-aid kit shut. She leaned back, arms crossing as she studied him one last time. He looked bad, but he’d live.

And that was all she needed to know.

Standing up, she stretched her arms above her head, letting out a quiet yawn. “I don’t know what the hell I just got myself into.” She muttered under her breath as she grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and using it to cover him as best as she could. She then glanced at him one last time before turning away.

With that, Mo’nique shut off the living room light and headed back to bed for a few good hours of sleep before 8:00am.

But that sleep didn’t last as long as she wanted it to.

The apartment was quiet, save for the occasional creak of the old brownstone settling in the night. Mo’nique stirred, eyes blinking open to the faint glow of the streetlights filtering through her bedroom window. It wasn’t unusual for her to wake up at odd hours—sometimes it was just her body’s way of reminding her she needed water, other times, it was the silence itself that roused her. She glanced over at her clock, seeing 4:07am beaming at her with its red light.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, slipping her feet into her teddy bear house slippers before she made her way toward the kitchen. But as she stepped into the hallway, she heard it—a rough, labored cough from the living room.

Mo’nique paused, listening. Another cough, deeper this time, followed by the faint sound of shifting fabric, like someone struggling to move. The sound did scare her briefly before she remembered that she was now harboring a beaten man. Her lips pressed together, and she sighed, turning toward the living room instead.

Unique was still on the couch, but he looked worse than when she left him. His breathing was shallow, his head turned slightly toward the armrest, sweat dampening his forehead. His body was tense, as if even in sleep, he couldn’t find rest.

Then he coughed again, barely lifting a shaky hand to cover it.

Mo’nique frowned, shaking her head as she turned back toward the kitchen. If this fool didn’t want to go to a hospital, the least he could do was drink some damn water. She thought. She grabbed a glass, filled it, then hesitated before reaching for a straw. He was barely holding himself up earlier, and she had a feeling it wasn’t any better now.

When she returned to the couch, Unique’s eyes were half-open but unfocused, staring at nothing. He wasn’t fully there, lost somewhere between exhaustion and fever.

Mo’nique crouched beside him, setting the glass on the coffee table. “Hey,” She called softly. “You awake?”

Unique didn’t respond at first, just shifted slightly with a wince. Then, his lips parted, voice hoarse and slurred. “…Ronnie…”

Mo’nique stilled. Then she blinked in confusion.

Ronnie?

She didn’t know the name, but there was something in the way he said it—something dark, something raw.

Unique shifted again, a faint grimace crossing his features. “When I get to him…” he muttered in a threatening tone, but his voice was barely above a breath. “When I—”

His words faded into another cough, and Mo’nique sighed, grabbing the glass.

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” She murmured, slipping a hand under his shoulder. “You need to drink somethin’ before you choke on your own damn thoughts.”

Unique barely reacted as she helped lift him just enough to bring the straw to his lips. At first, he didn’t drink, and she was about to scold him for being difficult in his sleep. But then he took a slow sip, then another, his body trembling from the effort.

Mo’nique held the glass steady, pausing when his breathing hitched like it hurt just to swallow. “Take it slow.” She muttered. “Ain’t no need to rush.” She said softly, watching as he drank the water helplessly. She then felt the weight of him sag against her slightly, like he was too tired to hold himself up any longer.

After a few more sips, he pulled away, mumbling something under his breath.

Mo’nique furrowed her brows before she leaned in. “What?” She asked.

Unique’s eyelids fluttered, his voice even weaker than before. “…Shouldn’t be here.”

Mo’nique exhaled through her nose, lowering him back onto the couch. “Yeah, well. Neither should I.” She sighed.

She placed the glass back on the table and grabbed the small towel she’d left nearby earlier, dabbing the sweat from his forehead. He barely reacted, already drifting again, his face still tense even in sleep. Whatever happened to him—whatever this Ronnie did—it wasn’t just his body that took the hit.

Mo’nique sat there for a moment, watching his chest rise and fall in shallow breaths. Then she sighed, stood up, and pulled the blanket higher over him.

“Get some rest.” She muttered, more to herself than him. “You’re gonna need it.”

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The soft hum of Mary J. Blige’s “Love No Limit” played from the radio on Mo’nique’s dresser as she swayed her hips lightly, lint rolling her scrubs. Mornings in her home were hers alone—quiet, routine, familiar.

She had woken up before sunrise, her body trained to start the day early after years of working long shifts as a home nurse, not matter how much sleep she was running off of. She showered first, letting the steam ease the stiffness in her muscles, then wrapped her towel tightly as she moved through the house, making her usual rounds—checking her mail, pulling out an outfit, and applying a fresh coat of cocoa butter to her skin.

Now, dressed in navy-blue scrubs with a baby’s blue thermal under shirt, Mo’nique stood at her vanity, smoothing her baby hairs with a toothbrush dipped in pomade. Gold earrings, check. Brown lip liner, check. A final spritz of White Diamonds perfume? Check.

She gave herself one last glance in the mirror before heading to the kitchen with her nurses bad in her hand. But before she could reach for her coffee mug, she glanced toward the living room.

Right. Him.

She made her way over, peering down at Unique where he was still sprawled on the couch. He hadn’t moved much since last night—his face was still bruised, his breathing still shallow, but at least he was still breathing. His forehead wasn’t as damp as before, but she wasn’t taking chances. If this man was gonna lay up in my house, I ain’t about to let him die in it. She thought.

Quietly, she stepped away and grabbed a bottle of Tylenol from the cabinet, along with a couple of water bottles and a sleeve of saltine crackers. Setting them on the coffee table beside him, she huffed.

“Don’t say I never did nothin’ for you,” She muttered before disappearing into her bathroom to grab the small trash can, just in case he needed it.

She glanced around the room, thinking. If he woke up confused, he’d need to know where things were.

Crossing her arms, she spoke, not even checking to see if he was actually listening. “Bathroom’s down the hall.” She said, nodding in that direction. “If you gotta throw up or whatever, I’d rather you do it there than on my damn couch but I brought the trash just in case.”

She moved her hand toward the kitchen. “If you need something else to eat, the kitchen’s right there. Ain’t much, but it’ll hold you over.”

Then, after a pause, she exhaled. “And if you need some clothes—” She hesitated, before rolling her eyes at herself as she scratched her forehead. “Bottom drawer in my room. Some of my ex’s shit still there. Ain’t nobody comin’ back for it, so you might as well.” She shrugged.

Unique didn’t respond, but Mo’nique didn’t expect him to. She eyed him for a moment longer before smoothing out her scrub shirt and grabbing her purse.

“Alright, I’m out.” She said, mostly to herself.

She turned toward the door, but before she stepped out, she glanced back one last time. Unique still hadn’t moved, but there was something about the way his fingers twitched slightly, the way his chest rose just a little more than before.

Mo’nique shook her head, muttering under her breath as she grabbed her keys.

“Don’t die in my house.”

And with that, she was gone.

The sound of the front door clicking shut barely registered in Unique’s mind. He wasn’t fully awake—not really. His body felt heavy, weighed down by pain and exhaustion, and even though the apartment had settled into silence, his head was still loud.

Ronnie.

His name stuck to the inside of his skull like gum on pavement, the memories flashing in and out of his mind. The weight of his brother on top of him, the sharp crack of fists colliding with his ribs, the copper taste of blood in his mouth.

Unique gritted his teeth, shifting slightly, but the sharp pain in his side had him hissing through clenched teeth. Shit.

For a few minutes—or maybe longer, he wasn’t sure—he just laid there, trying to steady his breathing. He could still smell the faint scent of Mo’nique’s perfume in the air, mixed with something warm, something homey. Cinnamon and Cocoa butter.

He cracked his eyes open just enough to see the living room bathed in soft morning light. His gaze landed on the coffee table—a bottle of water, some Tylenol, crackers. As well as the television remote.

He swallowed, his throat dry as hell. Had she left that for him?

With slow, careful movements, Unique forced himself up just enough to reach for the water. Even that small effort felt like hell. His arms were weak, his ribs screaming in protest, but he managed to unscrew the cap and take a sip.

The water was cold, running down his throat like relief itself.

He sat there for a moment, staring at nothing, before reaching for the Tylenol. It took more effort than he wanted to admit to shake out two pills, but eventually, he got them down with another sip of water.

Leaning back against the couch, he exhaled, his body still aching but his mind slowly sharpening.

Mo’nique. Her face was sort of blurred in his mind, nothing but brown skin and her lingering scent the only thing he cold decipher at the moment. She didn’t talk much, a woman of few words, but she wasn’t dumb because she didn’t ask any questions. She knew he wasn’t just some random man her cousin dumped on her doorstep. And yet—she ain’t ask no questions.

He frowned slightly and couldn’t help but ask his leg why.

Most people would’ve been running their mouths, pressing him about what happened, trying to figure out who he was, what he did. But she just took care of him, gave him space. Left him with what he needed.

Unique glanced toward the hallway next to the TV. He could hear her voice in his head, that slight edge of attitude as she pointed out where everything was.“Bathroom’s down the hall… Kitchen’s right there… If you need some clothes—bottom drawer in my room.” Unique clenched his jaw, considering. He did have to piss.

Slowly, carefully, he pushed himself up. His body protested the whole way. His ribs felt like they were wrapped in barbed wire, tight and unforgiving, but he gritted his teeth and swung his legs off the couch. His feet hit the floor, the coolness of the hardwood grounding him for a moment. Every movement sent sharp pains through his body, his stomach twisting in discomfort, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand.

He exhaled slowly, steadying himself. The apartment was quiet, save for the distant hum of the city outside. Empty in a way he wasn’t used to. No buzzing street corners, no boys posted up, no threats lingering in the air. Just the faint ticking of a clock somewhere in the distance, the soft hum of an old fridge. Sunlight filtered in through the blinds, casting long slants of gold across the floor.

For a brief second, he considered just staying put. Letting sleep pull him back under. But his body had other needs, and he wasn’t about to piss himself on Mo’nique’s couch.

With slow, deliberate movements, he pushed up from the cushions, gripping the arm of the couch as his legs adjusted beneath him. The room tilted slightly, his vision swimming for a moment before he found his balance. His side throbbed something fierce, but he ignored it, dragging himself toward the hallway.

Damn. This shit had him weaker than he thought.

After steadying himself, he made his way to the bathroom. The door she’d pointed to was slightly ajar. He nudged it open, stepping inside and bracing himself against the sink before dozing his best to relive himself in the toilet.

Afterwards, she turned back to the sink. He washed his hands before splashed cold water onto his face, wincing as the liquid met the cuts and bruises along his cheekbone. It stung, but it woke him up a little more, gave him something to focus on besides the dull roar of pain. He avoided looking at his reflection too long—he knew he looked like hell.

Making his way back to the living room, Unique eased himself down onto the couch, his body already demanding more rest.

He exhaled, his mind still circling the same thought over and over.

Ronnie.

What he was gonna do when he got to him.

His fingers curled into a loose fist, but exhaustion pulled at him before he could think too hard.

Eventually, his eyes slid shut again.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The elevator in the old Harlem apartment building was out again, which meant Mo’nique had to take the stairs. Five flights.

She huffed, adjusting the strap of her leather tote on her shoulder as she climbed. She had done this every weekday for the past two years, but that didn’t make it any less of a pain.

By the time she reached Apartment 5C, she took a quick breath to steady herself before knocking.

A few seconds later, the door creaked open.

“’Bout time,” Mr. James grumbled, leaning on his cane. “You gettin’ slower or these stairs gettin’ steeper?” He asked with an amused grin.

Mo’nique smirked. “I’d say both.” She said with a small huff.

The old man stepped aside, letting her in.

The apartment smelled like mothballs and Sunday dinner, mixed with the sounds of jazz records. The scent of simmering greens mixed with something sweet—probably Miss Doretha’s peach cobbler cooling on the counter. The couple had been married for 62 years, and even though they bickered nonstop, they still moved like two halves of the same soul.

“Doretha in the kitchen?” Mo’nique asked as she set her bag down.

“Where else would she be?” Mr. James muttered, moving to sit in his recliner. “Woman ain’t let me cook in 30 years.” He grumbled with his eyes trained on the television.

Mo’nique laughed, but as she glanced at him, she took note of the way he lowered himself into the chair. Slower than last week. More stiff.

“You takin’ them arthritis pills like I told you?” she asked with a quirked brow, already knowing the answer. Mr. James waved her off. “Them damn pills make me drowsy. I got things to do.” He huffed, only glancing at her before his eyes went back to ‘Good Times’.

“Like what?” Mo’nique asked, placing her hands in her hips.

“Like mindin’ my business.” He said.

Mo’nique rolled her eyes with a scoff, but she let it slide—for now. She had more pressing things to handle. “You is trouble, James.” She said with a small smile, giving him a faux reprimanding finger before turning away. She stepped into the kitchen, where Miss Doretha stood at the stove, stirring a pot of greens.

“Morning, sweetheart.” The older woman greeted, smiling warmly.

“Morning, Miss Doretha. Smells good in here.” Mo’nique said, inhaling deeply.

“Well, I gotta keep this man fed, or else he start actin’ up.” She replied in a moaning tired tone, tilting her head toward the living room as she rolled her eyes. All a roux about the man she loved deeply.

Mo’nique chuckled. “Yeah, I noticed.” She said before shitting her work bag down in the kitchen table. She grabbed a pair of gloves from her tote and got to work, first checking Miss Doretha’s blood pressure—steady, thank God. Then her blood sugar—a little high, but nothing too alarming.

“You eatin’ too many sweets?” Mo’nique asked knowingly, looking at the woman.

Doretha scoffed. “Just a little taste of cobbler last night.” She waved off.

“Uh-huh.” Mo’nique arched a brow. “And what about the night before?” She asked with a small tilt of her head.

The older woman smiled sheepishly. “Just a little taste then, too.”

“Yeah, that what I thought.” The nurse muttered. Mo’nique shook her head, but she couldn’t be mad. A little joy went a long way at their age.

After finishing up with Doretha, she went back to check on James—gently massaging his stiff joints, stretching his legs, making sure his blood pressure wasn’t creeping up again.

“You know, you keep skippin’ them pills, you gonna be walkin’ with two canes soon.” She warned.

Mr. James grumbled, but he didn’t argue.

After a few bite hours of care, a fresh round of bickering between the couple, and Miss Doretha forcing Mo’nique to take a plate of food to go, she finally packed up her things.

As she slipped on her coat, Miss Delores gave her a knowing look. “You alright, baby?” She asked, her brows furrowed softly as she looked at the woman.

Mo’nique blinked. “Yeah, why?” She asked.

“You seem a little… preoccupied.”

Mo’nique hesitated for a split second, a quick thought of the man laid up on her couch at this moment.

“Nah, I’m good.” She said, brushing it off. “Just a long morning.” She said softly.

Doretha studied her for a moment before nodding.

“Well, whatever it is, don’t let it worry you too much,” She said, patting Mo’nique’s hand. “You young. Got your whole life ahead of you.” She reassured. Mo’nique smiled, squeezing the older woman’s hand in return. “Thank you, Miss Doretha.” She sighed.

“And you need to be having some babies round here.” James chimed in from his chair in the living room. That caused Mo’nique’s smile to drop as she threw her head back with a sigh, although she was a bit amused, while Doretha turned ti the man with a frown. “James!”

“I’m not playing.” James said.

“Okay! Thank you, Mr.James!” Mo’nique cut in before the couple could start arguing. “I’ll see y’all tomorrow.” And with that, she headed out, the scent of peach cobbler following her down the hall, as well as the faint sound of the couple bickering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Mo’nique was sort of exhausted.

The winter chill clung to her skin as she made her way up the steps of her home, her tote bag heavier than it had been this morning. It had been a long day, filled with stubborn elders, last-minute pharmacy runs, and more stairs than she cared to count.

She let out a deep sigh as she unlocked the door, already looking forward to a hot shower and a quiet evening—except she had company.

When Mo’nique got back home, the apartment was dim, the only light coming from the TV flickering across the living room. She dropped her keys onto the counter that divided her small dining room from the view of the front door, kicking off her shoes. Her body was strained from such a long shift. She hadn’t expected much—maybe Unique would still be asleep, maybe he’d left, maybe he had gone through the food she left him.

But instead, she found him sitting on the couch, awake.

He wasn’t watching TV, though. Just sitting there, legs stretched out, fingers drumming lightly against his thigh. His face was still banged up, but at least he looked a little more like himself. More alert.

He turned his head as she walked in, his sharp eyes dragging over her. Assessing. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but she let him look. The aroma of baked chicken, rice, collard greens, and cornbread still clung to the takeout container she carried, the scent making her stomach tighten.

“Miss Doretha over-packed the plate again.” She muttered as she moved to the kitchen to set it down on the counter. “Swear she be actin’ like I got kids to feed or some.” She said. She wasn’t expecting a response, but Unique let out a low huff—maybe not quite a laugh, but the closest thing to one she’d heard from him yet.

“You hungry?” She asked, glancing over at him from the kitchen, which they could see each other from.

He hesitated for half a second before giving a small nod. Mo’nique didn’t make a big deal out of it. She just grabbed two plates, splitting the food between them, making sure there was a little bit of everything on each plate. She poured him a glass of water, too, then carried everything over to the couch.

“Here.” She handed him his plate first, setting the water on the coffee table before settling beside him with her own food, eyes in the TV.

Unique shifted, adjusting his grip on the plate, but the second he tried to lift his fork, his hand shook. It wasn’t much—just a tremor—but it was enough to make the rice slip right off his fork before he could get it to his mouth.

He clenched his jaw, tried again. Same result.

Mo’nique watched him struggle for a few moments before exhaling softly. She set her own plate aside, reaching over without a word. She scooped up a bite of food, bringing it toward him. Unique’s brows furrowed slightly, but he didn’t argue at first. He let her feed him, eyes trained on her face, jaw clenching every now and then, but he took the food without complaint.

Until he didn’t.

The next time she lifted the fork, his hand shot up, smacking it away. Not hard, but enough to make the food drop back onto the plate.

“Nah.” He snapped, voice low and tight. “Ain’t no damn baby.”

Mo’nique paused, leveling him with a look. Unique was breathing hard, nostrils flared, anger flickering behind his eyes. She could see it, see the way it bubbled up from nowhere, hot and fast. Head trauma would do that—shortened fuse, paranoia and anxiety, emotions running wild before he could stop them.

But she wasn’t the one.

She leaned back slightly, taking the plate from his lap and setting it in the table in front of them before folding her arms. “And I ain’t got time for no attitude.” She said, voice cool. “You was obviously struggling because you were beat to fucking hell and back, what, a day ago? I was just trynna help you out. But I don’t have to do a damn thing. And I damn sure won’t take you talking time be any type of way.” She said, her tone not even ending in anger as she simply started at the man. “So, you hungry or not?” She asked, tilting her head towards the plate on the table.

Unique didn’t respond right away, jaw tightening like he was trying to swallow his pride.

“’Cause if not,” Mo’nique continued, picking up her plate again, “You can sit here and sulk while I eat. Don’t make no difference to me.”

The silence stretched between them. His fingers twitched against his thigh, and for a second, she thought he’d snap again. But then he exhaled sharply, glancing away.

“…Just gimme the damn plate,” He muttered.

Mo’nique blinked at him before she handed it over without another word, watching as he adjusted his grip and forced himself to eat on his own. His eyes didn’t look at her as he ate, caught in his own thoughts and concentration on eating properly. It was slow, and a little messy, but he managed.

And she let him.

Because as much as she wasn’t about to put up with his bullshit, she understood his frustration. He wasn’t used to this. To needing help. To accepting it. He was no longer the same man he was before and they both knew that, even if she had no clue who he was. So she couldn’t be angry with him, even if he was being a tad rude and now staying in her house. But what Earl said was right. She had heart, and even if it didn’t seem like that all the time in the outside, she was too forgiving.

@notapradagurl7 @foxybrownsugababe @blkandchic @jazzieinthefuture @thecookiebratz @playgurlxoxo @planetblaque @harmshake @sweettea-and-honeybutter @sageispunk @onyxstones-world @keyera-jackson @satoruya @urfavblackbimbo @nahimjustfeelingit-writes

@blackerthings @caashmoneynae @euphorichappiness10 @life-in-the-slut-house @araybiaa

[dejwritesarchived]

❪ ♡ ❫ ─── ⠀ ⠀⠀ find someone like you ⠀ 〳 ⠀ n.kento ‵

❪ ♡ ❫ ─── ( synopsis ) the story of two sorcerers that fell in love.

♡ ˙ ˖ ✧ — reader discretion is advised: female reader, written with black reader in mind, jjk manga spoilers, fluff, such sweet sweet fluff, saw a post that black reader writers don't write enough fluff so don't let this flop, established relationship (reader & nanami getting married), if you see the internals reference no you don't hehe, flashback is italics, thanks to @eiflawriting for helping me with reader vows, mentions of pregnancy, implied smut (doesn't go in detailed just mentioned), same ship from family affairs series, can be read as a stand-alone, wc: 3.6k

♡ ˙ ˖ ✧ — inspo songs: find someone like you by snoh aalegra, new balance by jhene aiko, show me by joey bada$$, pov by ariana grande

YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE GETTING MARRIED. Especially so soon. You never thought you could say that you were in love—especially considering the profession you chose to dive head first in. As your reflection winked back at you, your eyes were glossy, and you could tell that you were about to cry. It wasn’t tears of sorrow or regrets but tears of joy. The dazed feeling of finding your soulmate and being content that this was the person you wanted to spend all of your life with. It felt like the first time the two of you met all over again. The butterflies—them freakin’ butterflies that curled around your stomach as if they were playing ring a round a rosie. They were there just like they were when you two met at a bar during Satoru’s birthday.

It felt like yesterday when you showed up at the bar with a bright smile on your face and Satoru’s gift in another—and coming fresh off a flight from the States. Jet Lag also on the verge of kicking your ass. 

“Happy 21st birthday.” You gave the white-haired male a smile as you shoved a bag in his hand.

It was a last-minute gift before you boarded your plane. Quite expensive, but you thought it fit him pretty well. His crystal blue eyes twinkled in excitement as you guys sat at the table with drinks in front of you. You sipped from your glass and let your fingers run through your coconut-scented coils. You watched your close friend open his gift with so much excitement to see the expensive pair of designer sunglasses. 

“Thank you, Y/N.” He tore off the ones he had and placed the ones you brought him on. “How’d I look?” He throws up a childish peace sign that gains a snicker from Shoko, who dabbed her cigarette in the ashtray.

You glanced around the table, seeing Utahime, who you were sure had to bribe with drinks to show. Shoko, who you had to play rock paper scissors to decide who was going to be in charge to ensure the birthday boy returned home safely. The alcohol hit the white-haired sorcerer like a teenager getting their first taste of cheap alcohol. This wasn’t the whole group—but shit happens. Haibara died. Suguru was gone. Mei only responded if yen bills were involved. You wondered how that one guy was. You couldn’t remember his name, but you remembered two things about him. Sitting with him during lunch after Haibara’s death and those chocolate brown eyes. 

“Nanami!” Gojo’s voice shrieked in the busy bar as he waved his long arms in the air for the blonde-haired salaryman to spot them. 

Due to your back being turned away from the bar's entrance, you had to turn around to face the direction that Gojo was looking. There he was. Was it cliche to admit that your heart felt like it stopped beating, and you forgot how to breathe when you saw him? Which only happened as soon as you made eye contact with their beautiful brown eyes. 

Nanami Kento, that was his name. You finally remembered his name. 

To think that night at the bar was the start of something. The two of you ensured the birthday boy returned home safely after only having three shots of the most expensive sake and a sip of your lemon drop drink. Catching up as Nanami would drive because that was the only thing you could do over Satoru’s subtle snores in the backseat of the car. 

How’d you been? 

I see you cut your hair. 

Still doing that research about reversed cursed technique you've been interested in since you were like 17. 

He remembered that little silly, goofy conspiracy theory you had about your technique, and you couldn’t even remember his name at first. He remembered how you were on the verge of getting suspended when you were younger for disrespecting the higher-ups (Thanks, Principal Yaga for having your back). That was one thing you adored about him. He paid attention to you—you just couldn’t quite put your finger on how long. Maybe that was why you fell so in love with Nanami Kento. Maybe that was why the relationship moved so fast that it left you breathless—but in a good way.  Like a good rush of adrenaline. When you were younger, you told yourself that it wasn’t worth it to love when curses plagued the world like a disease. Sorcerers don’t fall in love because who had time for love when you were slaying curses or when you could die in just one assigned mission? Any sorcerer would know that it wasn’t worth investing in it when it could get taken away in a blink of an eye. Or so you thought. 

“So let’s take that risk,” Twenty-One-year-old Nanami Kento said as you walked through a park after yet another successful date. 

When you glanced at him, you caught his gaze so intense that it made your knees go weak. He looked at you as if you placed each star in the sky for him to admire yourself. He looked at you as if you were the reason the moon twinkled down upon you two. He looked at you as if he was in love, and you received this look countless times from him. Despite the two of you only seeing each other for about four months now. You tried to explain to him that it was a risk of falling in love regarding what you two do. Yes, he may have closed the door on slaying curses to start at this entry-level salary position—but you were still high in the sorcery field. He was trying so hard to convince you that you were worth the risk. If he were to die tomorrow—at least he would have had the opportunity to say he kissed you, held your hand, took you out, and made love to you. 

“Ken, I don’t think you understand—“ Your words were interrupted by him stopping you from walking any further.

He collected your hand into his and looked you in your eyes. He knew that was another weakness—you never could look him in the eyes because you always got lost in them. You felt the pad of his thumb rub circles on your hand—the grasp tightening just a bit to ensure how serious he was. Your teeth nibbled at your lip before listening to him.

“I understand fully, and I’m all in,” Nanami responded. 

He watches you blink a couple of times as if he was a dream. As if you could pinch yourself, and he would just disappear, and you would jolt up in your bed in a cold sweat. 

“That just means we have to make every second worth it.” He explains. “So on that note—“ He leaned down and kissed your lips.

It was a soft, lightweight kiss until it wasn’t. His hand clutched the back of your neck, entrapping you completely to indulge in the plushness of his lips. You kissed back hungrily, actually, because you were all in too. You were all in four dates ago. You were all in when he stopped at your apartment to take care of you when you were sick. You just knew that Nanami Kento was worth that risk.

You always claimed that the two of you had time against you. Throughout your relationship, curses seemed to become stronger—it felt like it was always something new. Which increased the dangers of missions and your workload. That didn’t stop you guys from falling even more in love. Actually, it oddly landed you guys in a hiccup of your own, considering that you were here in a white wedding dress and your adorable three-year-old daughter was somewhere in the venue in her pretty flower girl dress. Yes, daughter. 

You recalled how nervous you were about having your sunshine. Correction, you and Ken’s princess. You were nervous and terrified. You were still young. Just in love and working your way up in the sorcerer world. Granted, it halted your career (and she was conceived during a Christmas party), considering that you were only twenty-two when you had your daughter. But you and Nanami’s love grew. Your pregnancy wasn’t an easy road to go down, but you guys made it work. That was one of your two things. When you two were together, you created sunshine to help clear out a storm. 

Adding your daughter to the picture was just sprinkling in that rainbow to piece together the beautiful storm that you and Nanami helped turn into sunshine. Your daughter was your whole heart. With her soft curly brown hair that was growing like a precious crown upon her hair. Her curious brown hues always sparkled when she saw you or Nanami. You adored seeing Nanami hold her hand as you guys made your way through a local flea market on a bright Sunday morning. You loved walking into the living room and seeing Nanami lying on the couch reading his favorite book while your daughter was sleeping on his chest. Those were just some moments that you held so close to your heart. 

You perched up in the hospital bed, hearing the nurse explain what was to happen today. You spent days in the hospital after the birth of your daughter. Yu Nanami was a bit impatient when it came to making her arrival. With coming out a month early, your daughter was a premature baby—coming out and only weighing around three pounds. She was so small. You tried not to blame yourself when the nurse pushed you into the NICU. Maybe you were under too much stress. Push yourself too harshly at work to cause you to enter labor early. You remembered the feeling of your heart burning as the pad of your thumb rubbed against her tiny hand through the incubator. 

“Little Yu has been doing so well in the NICU, so we decided that today we’re going to do a little kangaroo care, also called skin-to-skin care.” Your nurse beamed with a smile. “Kangaroo care can help her stay warm, gain weight, keep her heart and breathing regular, and even help with breastfeeding.” She explained to both you and Nanami.

You were super excited at the thought of feeling the warmth of your daughter's skin on yours, but you thought it would be better for Nanami to do it. You sat up excitedly before asking, “Does it matter which parent does it?” Your voice trails off before your nurse chuckles.

“It doesn’t matter. If you want to do it this time, he can do it the next time.” Her hand motions to Nanami, sitting in the chair beside your hospital bed.

Your plump lips formed an o shape before looking at Nanami with a smile, “I think you should do it first.” You say as your hand reaches out for him to take.

You watch closely as he grabs your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours. His brown eyes light up at the idea. You were sure Nanami held Yu more than you during your stay at the hospital. It was insane how small the baby looked in his arms while he waltzed around the room humming adorable lullabies he remembered his grandfather used to sing to him. 

“You sure? She did mention it’ll help with breastfeeding. So I don’t mind waiting until next time.” He brings your hand up to his mouth and places a kiss on it.

“Yes, I’m sure. Plus, kinda an excuse to see you shirtless.” You joked with a wink.

“Of course.” He returned your chuckle before the two of you looked at the nurse, who couldn’t stop smiling at the adorable sight.

“Okay, then, let’s start.” 

You couldn’t stop smiling at the sight, and you had never snapped so many pictures in a matter of minutes seeing your small baby on her father’s chest. If you looked close enough, you would even see some tears swelling in Nanami’s eyes. He quickly blinked to prevent you from seeing and to hold his composure, but that only let a tear droplet travel down his cheeks. Before smiling, you leaned forward to wipe the falling tear from Nanami’s eyes. “She got comfortable so quickly,” You pointed out.

“Yeah,” Nanami said through a breathy sigh.

You weren’t sure if he was nervous because his daughter was so close to him or the fact that the two of you created such a beautiful being. Frankly, it was both. Nanami felt at peace. When his daughter was placed on his chest, he felt a form of comfort. As if it was a missing puzzle piece that completed a puzzle, he’s been working on. It brought warmth to his heart to look at his daughter and see a share of himself and the woman he loved.

“She’s going to be attached to your hip. Such a daddy’s girl already.” You commented as you glanced at him.

The only thing you could do was let out a happy sigh. Because that’s what you were, happy. 

Now here you stood with just a door and a simple walk-in between the love of your life. As you grasp Principal Yaga’s arm, you can feel yourself get nervous. It wasn’t per se you were having second thoughts. You would never have second thoughts about this. But you were nervous about what was to come. The two of you always viewed your love story as a love story on pure adrenaline. You two put your all into it because one day, you weren’t sure if the other would be here. 

As soon as the doors were opened and you stepped into the room, grasping on one of the men who watched you grow into the young sorcerer you were today—there he was. Nanami Kento. His eyes met yours, and that nervous bubble that came crashing upon you burst. You couldn’t contain the smile that cracked on your face with each step you took down the aisle. Your eyes were blurring with your tears, and you hadn’t even stood before him yet. From the looks of it, Nanami wasn’t any better. Dabbing at his brown eyes with a tissue Gojo gave him—a quite poor attempt to not show the whole room he was tearing up at the sight of you. You, the love of his life. 

When the thin sheer veil was lifted off your face, you looked at him and smiled. You felt like the princess in a fairytale, and you had finally been receiving your happily ever after with your prince. 

“Hey,” Nanami said to you with a smile. 

“Hello.” You responded, returning the smile. 

“You look beautiful,” Nanami adds.

There you felt those same butterflies erupt in your stomach. The same ones appeared when he would kiss you in the morning before leaving for work. The same ones appeared as you watched him with Yu doing practically anything. Every moment you spent with Nanami felt like only you guys were in the room. You only saw him.  You were so in love and ready for him to be the one you spent forever with. 

You were in such a trance of staring into Nanami's dreamy set of chocolate brown eyes; you didn’t even notice that the wedding celebrant mentioned that it was time for you to say your vows. You heard the wedding celebrant make a joke that made the guests laugh, and your cheeks warmed in embarrassment. 

“So, should we do rock paper scissors to decide who goes first?” You joked, and Nanami laughed. 

“I think my beautiful, beautiful Y/N should go first.” 

“Fine, but if you cry so hard that you can’t even say your vows—don’t blame me.” You uttered. 

You inhaled sharply, and the squeeze on your hands grew tighter. A squeeze of comfort to ensure that everything was going to be okay. 

“Falling in love while being a sorcerer was something I never expected to do. Our jobs are risky, and I just knew I didn’t want to put someone in a situation where they’ll possibly lose me—or I lose them. But I just couldn’t help myself when it came to you, Ken. When I thought being in the world of sorcery would be suffocating, you were the air I needed to breathe. You felt so good. You felt like home. Looking at you first thing in the morning with your messy hair made me feel like everything was going to be okay. The patience you had with my apprehension assured me. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as kind as you before. You handle me with so much care. You give me your shoulder to cry on when I have a stressful day at work. You listen to me talk shit about the reality TV show reruns I watch, regardless of you knowing what the hell I’m talking about. You gave me security, even when I felt scared. “Let’s take that risk,” remember? I can’t think of an opposite word for risk, but this—marrying you, having Yu? This doesn’t feel like a risk at all. This feels like a blessing. Aside from having our beautiful baby girl, falling in love with you is the best decision I have ever made in my life. Everyday with you feels like I’m experiencing love all over again. I’m sorry, I’m talking too much. Maybe I should’ve written this down.” You said, and guests laughed at last comment. If you listened closely, you could even hear one of your aunts yell to ‘to take your time, sweetie’. 

“Just—Thank you, okay? I love you. I’ll always love you no matter what. And whenever you need me, just think of me, and I swear I’ll be there.” You finished with a smile, and tears fluttered down your cheeks.

Like the gentleman he was, Nanami wipes your tears away while trying to hold back his own. 

“Fuck, you weren’t lying about me possibly crying after you said yours.” He says with a sigh.

“Daddy! Language.” Yu said out loud, giving him a similar look you would give him when he stays up too late. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll put money in the swear jar after this.” He apologizes before he looks at you. “It’s my turn now, and I honestly don’t even know where I start. You know, I always thought that maybe I should write all of this day. But then, I knew I would have a whole book of how I feel about you.” Nanami explained.

“I remember when we first met. We were teenagers, and you always had this contagious smile on your face that, on some days, I found myself thinking about within the day. In my mind, I couldn’t admit that I like you considering what we were in school for. What was the point if one of us could die? Haibara’s death further proved my point, but when I saw you at the bar, I remembered Haibara’s words when he was younger. He mentioned that I shouldn’t let us about to be sorcerers hinder what I want in life. At that moment, I was all in. I knew what I wanted.” He wipes away a tear from your cheek with a sly grin. 

“I wanted you, Y/N. I wanted your Sunday mornings where you’re just lounging around. I wanted your talkative moments of you talking about any and everything. I wanted your silence because I knew you could just be thinking about what flavor of ice cream you wanted or about some curse one of your co-workers told you about. I wanted your work days where you walk around in a white lab coat. I wanted the late-night chats of us talking about our future together. I wanted the other side of the bed at my place to be yours. I wanted you to have space in my closet and dresser drawers. So when I saw you at Satoru’s party, it just reminded me that when I first saw you, it wasn’t per se—love at first sight. It was more; it’s going to be you.” Nanami said as he intertwined his fingers with yours.

“You’re going to make me ruin my makeup Ken,” You drop his hand to quickly grab a tissue from Shoko because his dabbing at your tears was causing you to be even more emotional. 

“I’m sorry, my love, but you deserve to know that. I’m ready to be yours. I’m ready to protect, cherish, and love you and our daughter until my last breath. Because I’m still all in.” He concluded with tears in his eyes. 

Your heart felt like it was clawing at your chest. As the wedding celebrant continued with the ceremony and it was time for Nanami to rightfully kiss his bride, he didn’t waste any time collecting you and planting a passionate kiss on your lips. His arms snake around your waist, tugging you closer than ever as the guests erupt in cheers. Your arms went around Nanami’s neck as you felt his tongue trace alongside your lower lip, begging for a taste of you. You teasingly pull away from the kiss with a smile as your forehead presses against his. 

“I’m so happy to be all yours now.” You happily sighed. 

“I’m so happy to be all yours also.” Nanami brings your hand to his lips, placing a kiss on it. “So grateful also.” 

That was how you and Nanami's love story blossomed to where you guys are today. A doctor at Kyoto Jujutsu High, A salaryman slash Sorcerer, and your five-year-old daughter (who can see curses).

TAGS — @eiflawriting @maydayaisha @sailewhoremoon @stunnababyyabyyy @tyga-lily @neesiewrote @ner-dee @dior-fawn @animetypagirlsstuff @nathalunalune @kulemiwrites @cashae @sanjithesimp @jujutsukaisenfan @yamuverrrr @luvrgalore @eerenslvtt @sushiwrote @4522-08 @la-musaa @alinvert @si00p @kimorikuri @kenpachis-woman @sirenh4ll @intheewrld @bbytamaki @deeliciious @sukunalfetoverfingers

[simp4eshal]

masterlist!!

DRABBLES !!°

Death herself was a beauty°! drabble serie

A drabble serie in wich Reader, a pretty and confident poc woman, makes our boys fall head over heals for her.

OT7! PG-16(based on the chapter)

Part 1: The introduction of death

Part 2: The Janitor's closet (Jungkook focus!)

ONESHOTS !!°

“I was in the M O O D when she said park my car down the backstreet”

based on “Ryd” by Steve Lacy

Summary: Seokjin takes you on a late night drive, and he did not expect to end up on the backseat with you.

warning: best friend!Jin x reader, late night drive listening to Steve Lacy, pure fluff and smut, Jin is shy at first and overwhelmed, he is also kinda possesive during sex, car sex, so much passion and lust between these two, boyfriend material!Jin, reader is straightforward asf, she rides him because that’s the lyrics, black!reader, reader speaks french when annoyed at him, chill sex bc they kinda high, so use of drugs (weed only), Seokjin drives a converstible audi and it’s hot

link here

“You never wanted nothing from me, I just fuck you and leave.”

based on “That’s why I love you” by SiR feat Sabrina Claudio

Summary: Kim Namjoon is your secretary, and also your sexfriend. Besides your professional and intimate relationships, you don’t have anything in common with him. But Namjoon finds himself very vulnerable when, for the first time, he asks for more. More of you, and your attention. And your cold demeanor does not stop him from being expressive of his love for you. After all, that’s why he loves you.

warnings: angst, unrequired feelings, toxic relationship, smut, switch!Namjoon x switch!reader, fluff at the end I swear, Namjoon cries, vulnerable Joon, slip of the L word during sex, reader is emotionally constipated but it gets better, not so mutual pinning, reader ghost Namjoon for like a week and he almost go crazy, slighty yandere!Namjoon, toxic asf!reader, black!reader, she only wanna protect his heart but makes him suffer instead, it seems like a lot but there’s an happy ending I swear

“I mean she’s so perfect in her own little world”

Based on “Love is only a feeling” by Joey Bada$$

Summary: Hoseok would do anything to protect you, you and your own little world.

warnings: a lot of fluff, lil angst, mutual pinning, brother’s best friend!Hoseok x lil sister!reader, age gap (4 years), hoseok is so so soft and in love, biggest simp hoseok, oblivious but in love reader, love letters uwu, smut in the form of love making, slightly overprotective hoseok, chill big bro!yoongi, yoongi is the voice of reason and love his lil sis and hobi, black!reader

“I got a thing for you, and I can’t let go”

based on “Age ain’t nothing but a number” by Aaliyah

Summary: Your dad’s coworker, Mister Jeon, shouldn’t be this attractive. He really shouldn’t.

warnings: age fucking gap (15 years y’all, reader’s 23 and Jungkook’s 38), jungkook is scared of her atp, reader is shameless and jungkook’s overwhelmed, koo is so fucking confused I almost feel bad for writing him like this, reader likes dilfs a lot, mutual pinning, smut, pregnancy scare, angst, fluff, Will Smith as reader’s dad because why not

let me know if I forgot something

SERIES !!°

She's a maneater ; A Kim Taehyung sm au

Resume: Kim Taehyung is a shy art major in Paris, Y/N's an outgoing fashion major in Paris too. What happens when, for Jimin's sake, the two of them meet at a party ? She ruins him.

Social media au

read story here !

coming soon

Wanna get drunk and nasty ? ; A Jeon Jungkook sm au

Resume: What happens when Jungkook gets drunk in Rome ?

Social media au

coming soon

[notapradagurl7]

I love this😫

A story about everyones favorite Mr.Robot character Leon and his life after leaving the Dark army behind.

Warning: this story contains violence, death mentions, angst, smut, and a bunch of Seinfeld references..wayyy too many

Word count: 391

===============================================

Epilogue

The days moved slower now. Quieter. Leon had traded in the shadowy chaos of the Dark Army for something that almost resembled peace. Almost. He still took jobs—clean, quiet, off-the-grid freelance work—but there was no master to answer to, no strings on his back. Just Leon, his music, and the occasional night that ended in blood on his sneakers and silence in his soul.

Then came Noel.

He met her at a corner store in Brooklyn—the kind of meet-cute that wouldn’t sound believable even on a bad sitcom. She was reaching for the last bag of sour cream and onion chips. He cracked a joke about fate and flavor. She laughed, genuinely. Like she got him. Really got him.

She moved in that night.

Not a suitcase, not a question. Just her and that crooked smile. It should’ve set off alarms, but it didn’t. It felt… easy. Too easy.

They binge-watched Seinfeld together, quoting punchlines in sync. She laughed at his corny jokes like she wrote them. She knew how he liked his coffee, how he cleaned his knives, when to touch him and when to leave him alone. She didn’t ask about the blood or the late nights or the way he sometimes stared into nothing like he was still watching lives slip away.

She just knew.

Leon never trusted coincidence. Not in his line of work. Not in this life.

Noel. Leon. The same letters, flipped.

Brooklyn-born. Witty. Lethal silence behind warm eyes.

Sometimes he’d wake in the middle of the night and watch her sleep, wondering if he was looking at the ghost of something he lost or a mirror of something he still hadn’t found. Maybe she was just like him because she was him. A leftover shard of his fractured past, reassembled into someone else. Someone meant to find him.

And maybe that’s what scared him the most.

Because deep down, Leon knew he wasn’t alone anymore.

But he wasn’t sure if that was a blessing—or a setup.

Still, every morning, he made her coffee. Every night, she waited for him to come home, no matter what was on his hands.

And neither of them asked why.

Because sometimes, when you’ve lived long enough in the shadows, you stop looking for the light—and start falling in love with the dark that looks just like you.

[osamiiya]

another milestone🥺 ur growing so fast i'm so happy for u🤩 once again i am here to support ur event 🥳 can i get mattsun with #41 song: love is only a feeling by joey bada$$

Look it's Lyss 🥺 Please you've been here before 100 followers and I'm so thankful ily ❤️❤️

Pairing: Mattsukawa Issei x Reader

Scenario: #41 Fake dating each other to go to a wedding, falling in love.

**This one is kinda long, oops

Omiomi's 200 Follower Event

-Monday-

"So, what you're saying is that your cousin's wedding is this weekend and you don't have a date to get your pushy relatives off your back, so you need me to act like we're dating?"

You blink a couple times, shocked that he got it completely on the first try.

"Yeah.... that's exactly it."

Matsukawa shrugs "It's not like I have anything else to do, and it's free wedding cake."

You bark out a laugh, drawing the attention of people at nearby cafe tables.

"I can drive us, it isn't too far." You say, trying to further convince him so he won't back out suddenly.

At this Matsukawa snorts, leaning in to look you in the eye.

"Now what kind of a fake boyfriend would I be to let my fake girlfriend drive us there?"

You roll your eyes "Fine, but we need to lay down some rules."

He nods and motions for you to continue.

" 1. No kissing on the lips unless it's a situation in which we absolutely have to, other skinship will be ok. 2. We leave Friday morning, and come back Sunday night because the wedding is in the afternoon on Saturday. During then we'll probably have to share a room, I'll take the sofa or we'll use pillow dividers. 3. We met in college, and you asked me out." Matsukawa's eyes are narrowed in concentration, eyebrows furrowed as he commits it to memory.

"Easy enough." He grins, this was going to be a piece of cake.

You spend the rest of your "lunch date", full empasis on the quotes, discussing your backstory and other details that might be asked about.

-Friday-

Your doorbell rings and you grab your luggage, opening the door to see Matsukawa, white shirt and black joggers. His messy hair falling slightly in his face.

He was always attractive, but this outfit makes your mouth go dry and you swallow hard, grinning at him as he waves.

"Ready to go?"

The car ride was about 6 hours, you taking the first half and Matsukawa taking the second half, claiming that he wants your family to see what a good boyfriend he was, driving you to the wedding.

While you drove he fed you snacks and gave you instructions from the map app on his phone cackling when you missed an exit.

He napped for an hour before he had to drive, not wanting to be tired when he had to drive.

You take some glances to him, and usually people wouldn't find a boy passed out, leaning against the window with his mouth slightly open, attractive. But the butterflies in your stomach fluttered and you wondered what it would be like to kiss him awake.

Soon, you pull up to the gas station halfway mark that the two of you agreed on. You lightly tap him awake, and stifle a smile as he groans awake, stretching as his shirt rode up a little.

"Are we there?" He's half asleep and you allow a smile, unbuckling your seatbelt.

"I'll get you a coffee." Your heart is beating erratically as you pay for the canned coffee from the gas station, remembering Matsukawa's shirt riding up as he stretched.

You open the car door and hand him his coffee, he grunts a thank you and starts the car, taking a sip of his coffee occasionally humming along to the radio.

"This coffee sucks." He deadpanns, finishing up the can.

"But you finished it." You point out and he rolls his eyes before cracking a smile.

That's all it takes to break the ice you didn't know had formed, cracking jokes and wheezing as you pull into the hotel, your Aunt greeting you guys.

Matsukawa side hugs you and plants a kiss on your forehead, greeting your family.

"Hi, I'm y/n's boyfriend." Your heart warms at the sentence, and you have to scold your brain to stop being so happy. It's fake, it's fake, you're fake dating.

You get the room key and hold your breath as you enter the room, one bed, and there's no couch.

Matsukawa senses your apprehension and shrugs.

"I can sleep on the floor?" He offers, and you shake your head.

"It's fine, I don't want you to be uncomfortable tomorrow."

You don't notice the blush on Matsukawa's face as he fully digests the situation, too busy calming yourself down.

He showers first and then you get ready for bed, coming out of the bathroom to see no pillow wall, but Matsukawa fast asleep.

'I suppose we're close enough to not need pillow wall."

You lie down on the edge of the bed slightly cold, but fall asleep nonetheless.

-Saturday-

The entire day is awkward, you woke up tangled in Matsukawa's arms, his head in your hair, and arms around your waist.

Then at breakfast your cousin noted that you're not holding hands, and so the two of you clasp hands, slightly concerned that you enjoy holding his hand so much.

During the wedding a couple of your older relatives lean over and giggle about how your guy's wedding is next, flustering both of you.

And before you know it you're slow dancing with Matsukawa, head on his chest as his heart beats rapidly.

You must've had too much champagne, because your head is fuzzy and your impulse control is near zero as you get ready for bed.

"Are we going to sleep together?" You mean in it a purely Innocent way, but Matsukawa spits out the water he was drinking, coughing violently as his cheeks and ears turn red.

"What?" He chokes out, and you frown.

Sitting in the bed, you cross your arms and Matsukawa finds you adorable right now.

"You're so cute." He sighs, lying down and opening his arms while realizing what you meant earlier.

"'m not cute." You sigh, content and comfortable.

"I love you." You mumble, not aware of what you're saying completely.

Matsukawa breaths in shakily, not sure how to respond, you're clearly not aware of what you're saying.

"I love you too." He whispers into your ear even though it looks like you've fallen asleep.

-Sunday-

The car ride home is quiet, just anxious glances, you wondering if what you said last night was actually said or just a dream, and Matsukawa wondering if what you said was just a result of the champagne.

"So..." You both start.

The two of you stop, laughing nervously.

"You said you loved me." He clears his throat, refusing to look at you and drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"And what if I said I did?" It was a pretty big change, going from being good friends with a slight crush on him, to admitting you were in love with him. Both to yourself and to who you're in love with.

He glances over to you, eyes sparkling.

"I'd say the same thing I said last night."

You blanche, he can't possibly expect you to remember what he said.

"Which is..." You look at him expecting as he smirks.

"I love you too."