This one's for @GoBigOrGoHome who requested some one shots of Esai being sweet with Angela. :) This is just one oneshot, but there will be more to come! Thanks for the request!! Hopefully, this sheds a tiny bit of insight on why Angela loved Esai. He wasn't always such a little prick... ;)

~'~'~'~

Esai walked into Rafael's house without knocking as he usually did. As far as he was concerned, Rafa's house was his second home. Had been since they were kids. He had a key and everything. Rafa was on the couch already, a beer in his hand despite the fact that they were both underage at almost eighteen years old. He heard Rosa banging around in the kitchen and smirked; he had a feeling Angela was with her. Those two were rarely apart on the weekend. He headed that way, surprised to see her packing shit into a bag. "Where's my girl?" he asked, catching Rosa's attention.

"You don't know where your girlfriend is?" Rosa asked, eyebrow raised.

  "She said she was busy. Figured it was with you," he explained on a shrug.

She muttered something in Spanish under her breath, shaking her head as she poured some kind of soup into a tupperware. "Your girl got her wisdom teeth removed yesterday," she explained with a disappointed look on her face. " 's why she missed school, dumbass."

His heart sunk; Angela had surgery and hadn't said a damn word to him. She'd said she had to leave school early on Friday for a dentist's appointment, not getting her wisdom teeth out.  "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Was gonna head over there right now. Her Ma and Aunt are both workin', so she's alone," she explained on a frown.

"Alone?" he repeated in shock. He hated the thought of Angela alone in that house and in pain. She didn't deserve that shit. She should have someone there taking care of her. When he got his wisdom teeth out, his Ma had waited on him hand and foot, making him the best, softest food and making sure he took his meds on time. He'd milked that shit for all it was worth. He couldn't imagine suffering through it alone. "But that shit hurts! She shouldn't be alone!"

"Why do you think I'm goin' over there?" she shot back at him like he was an idiot. "Mama even made her soup."

Esai ran a hand through his hair. He had plans with Rafa, but he could cancel them. He was with his best friend all the time. His girl needed him, and he was going to be there for her. "All right. Give me the soup. I'll take it."

"She doesn't want you there, E," Rosa said on a frown. "She woulda told you if she did."

He took offense to that. "Why wouldn't she want me there? I'm her boyfriend! I should be helping take care of her!"

Rosa sighed heavily, crossing her arms over her chest. "Because her face is swollen as fuck, and she looks like a damn chipmunk," she explained like it was obvious. "She don't want you to see her like that."

He scowled at her, shaking his head. How shallow did Angela think he was? Yeah, he liked her because she was pretty, but there was more to it than that. She was smart and kind, and unlike most girls, she didn't give a damn about his Mayan connection. "That's fuckin' dumb." He grabbed the bag off the counter. "I'm takin' this to her and whatever else she needs."

Rosa looked impressed as she nodded. "Good. There's a dry erase board in there. She's not supposed to talk a lot because she could pull her stitches or some shit."

"Got it. Tell Raf I'll see him later!"

~'~'~'~

Angela was in pain. She'd taken the drugs the dentist had given her, but they weren't helping much. Her jaw was swollen on both sides, the swelling refusing to go down no matter how much ice she put on it. She changed the bloodied gauze out of her mouth grimacing at her messy hair and puffy face. Sighing, she padded her way downstairs and to the couch, wondering when Rosa was going to get there. With her Ma and Aunt at work and Hap in prison, she felt so alone. She knew it was childish, but she just wanted someone to sit with her, take care of her. She understood why her Ma and Aunt had to work, but she wished one of them would've stayed behind with her. Tell her everything was going to be okay.

The doorbell ring, and she smiled before hissing in pain, the simple action hurt more than she expected. She opened the door, surprised to see Esai standing there instead of Rosa. Her eyes widened, and she immediately shut the door in his face. "C'mon, chiqui! Don't be like that! 'm here to give you company!" he shouted through the door. "Don't care if you look like a chipmunk! Bet you're the hottest one ever!"

Her heart skipped a beat at how sweet the sentiment was. With a sigh, she opened the front door, her cheeks heating up in a blush. His blue eyes swept over her before a smile spread across his face. "I was right. Hottest little chipmunk I ever seen."

Angela rolled her eyes at him, stepping back to let him in the house. He held up the bag to her. "Brought you soup and a dry erase board 'cause you're not s'posed to talk," he explained, setting the bag on the counter. "You hungry?"

She shook her head. She knew Rosa had prepared the food and the whiteboard, but she'd let him get away with pretending it was his idea. "Thanks," she mumbled, though the word came out muffled so it sound more like fanks.

He smiled, dropping a kiss to her forehead before pushing her towards the living room. "Lemme get you some ice, mi ardillita linda." (Pretty little squirrel.)

She flipped him off, but secretly, she loved the little pet names he gave her in Spanish. Sitting down on the couch, she sighed and put on whatever random thing she could find.

He sat down beside her, handing her the whiteboard and the marker and a bag of frozen peas. "No talkin'. Writing only," he instructed, tapping the board

She scooted closer to him, leaning her temple against his shoulder. He put the bag of frozen peas on her cheek, balancing it gently. He kissed the crown of her head. "You coulda told me about the surgery, chiqui. I would've been there for ya."

I'm fine alone, she wrote on the whiteboard.

He scowled at her, shaking his head. "Nah, someone's gotta take care a ya. Bein' in pain and alone 's no fun."

"Mmm," she hummed in agreement. She sighed in relief, closing her eyes as she breathed in the smell of his cologne. Just having him near made her feel so much better. She didn't know what he was doing with her when he could probably have any girl in his grade, but she grateful for him. She drew a heart on the board, tilting her head back to meet his gaze.

His blue eyes were warm as they looked down at her. Taking the marker from her, he drew a heart beside hers and wrote, por vida. Her heart did a little flip flop. With the way he took care of her, being at his side forever didn't sound so bad.

~'~'~'~
Short and sweet and fluffy!!
Thanks for the request!!
Again, any request are very welcome and also helpful for me writing/inspiration rise! I have a few that are in progress and coming up soon!
Hope everyone has a happy holidays!!
💙