·̩̩̥͙ $ * ☆ •̩̩͙ * ♡︎ * •̩̩͙ ☆ * ˚ $ ·̩̩̥͙

Fezco knew something was up with his girl.

Everyday for the past three days, he asked her if she was going to work that night. And everyday for the past three days, Mariah said no.

He knew that she never missed three straight days of work–she wasn't really allowed to. But she said she caught whatever it was that Reyna had while taking care of her, and only started feeling better just this morning.

Fezco only saw her the few times that he took her food in between working, taking care of a few runs, and knew something was up. But he didn't wanna ask because he knew what answer she would give him, and he knew that she probably wasn't telling him something for a reason.

He really wanted her to, but he didn't wanna push her, he didn't wanna be annoying. And the last thing Fezco wanted was to bug her so much that she got sick of him and decided to end things with him for being pushy.

But Fezco knew that whatever Mariah had going on must've passed, receiving a good morning text from her as he got ready for the day, getting excited when she attached a selfie to her text.

Mariah had also received a good morning text that morning, but I'm not talking about Fezco's. I'm talking some gut wrenching shit, not heart warming.

Nate texted to let her know that it was her turn–whatever that fucking meant–to go to the police station and tell them what she was told to tell them, but only if she knew what was good for her and the ones she cared about.

Mariah thought long and hard those three days she spent locked in her room. Well, she didn't think of it like, all 72 hours, but she thought about it often.

She thought about her options, which like Danny's, were not good. But that didn't matter, because she knew what she was gonna do from the beginning.

And after she left the police station, it would all hopefully be over, and Danny would hopefully get taken into custody before he could do anything with the video, and everything would be fine.

But Mariah couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Maddy was a bitch to her and all, but she felt guilty helping prove her abuser innocent to put her own away.

It's not like Mariah was doing it for her own benefit or anything–she could literally have a sex tape leaked if she helped Nate–but she would rather have that than fuck anything up for Fezco.

Especially after all he'd done and still does for her. He didn't deserve that.

Fezco deserved the world.

He had brought Mariah food a bunch of times while she was home sick, tell her to rest up cause he missed her, and insisting that he would be fine if she let him in to take care of her for a bit.

But hearing that she was feeling better put a smile on his face, taking his own selfie to text back, his smile never fading as he typed.

Fezco sent her the message just as he got his own gut wrenching text.

iMessage–Mouse
Re up today.

"What's good son," Mouse greeted Ashtray after he and Custer were let into the apartment.

Ashtray half nodded in response, taking a good look at the two as he closed the door, watching them walk into the kitchen from his room.

Fezco looked up from where he counted the money he owed Mouse last minute, also greeting them with a nod as his eyes flickered back down to the bills in his hands.

"Sup bruh," He mumbled as he stuffed the money into a brown paper bag, picking it up in his hand as he stood up to dap the two up.

Custer set the duffel bag full of drugs on the table while Mouse listed off everything he had for him, leaning on the table as they all watched Custer zip open the duffel bag.

"What's the math on that, Custer?" Mouse asked his partner once his list came to an end, not taking his eyes off of Fezco, noticing the two fading love bites trailing down his neck and disappearing under his shirt.

Fezco and Ashtray exchanged looks as Custer did the math and gave the price, both brothers agreeing with each other before Fezco nodded at Mouse and handed him the bag of money.

Mouse gave it to Custer to count as he always did, then leaned off where he rested against the table to open the fridge and lean down in search for a drink, like he owned the fucking place.

Mouse grabbed a Sprite can before he closed the fridge, his eyes falling onto a picture on the fridge, of a girl he knew all to well.

He let out a scoffed laugh, taking a good look at the picture before glancing at Fezco, then at Custer.

"Yo Custer, come take a look at this," Mouse raised his eyebrows, calling Custer over, who paused his counting to go take a look at whatever Mouse said to, brows furrowing as his eyes found the picture of Mariah and Fezco at the strip club on Wayne's birthday.

It took Fezco a minute to realize what they were looking at, heart dropping when he remembered that Mariah had stuck a picture of them on the fridge with a random heart magnet from one of the kitchen drawers, Fezco laughing when Ashtray thanked her for giving them something to scare the roaches away with.

"That Valentine?" Custer asked with a laugh.

"That's fuckin Mariah," Mouse nodded in confirmation.

Ashtray pulled his eyebrows together at her name coming from their mouths, looking over at Fezco, who just stared at the fools staring at a picture of his girl on his lap with her lips to his cheek, clenching his jaw.

"Damn, you're lucky," Custer patted Fezco's back as he walked back to the table and took a seat in the chair to keep counting the money, while Mouse stayed by the fridge.

"Got that fuckin right," Mouse agreed with a smirk betore glancing at Fezco for a second. "You fuckin with the prettiest bitch from Wayne's."

"Nah," Fezco lied with a shake of his head, in hopes that then Mouse wouldn't feel like she mattered to him, then he'd stay away from her.

"Nah? I see you with her all the time, bruh."

"It ain't like that though, I'm just her bouncer...or somethin like that," Fezco explained in a mumble.

Mouse let out an amused scoff. "She told me the same thing, but I'm not fuckin stupid. I see you with her all the time. Not just at Wayne's."

Fezco tensed up at that. Mouse saw them all the time?

"You been keeping eyes on me and my girl?" Fezco let slip out, starting to get all defensive.

"Thought you said you not fucking with her?" Mouse asked him.

"I'm not fucking wit her, she's my girl," Fezco made clear. There was a difference.

Mouse nodded, looking at the picture once more. "I appreciate you not lying to my fuckin face bout it like she does."

That made Fezco furrow his eyebrows, so not only is Mouse basically stalking his girl, he's talking to her and asking about her relationship with Fezco too.

"What the fuck you even talkin to her for?" He slightly raised his voice.

Mouse tore his eyes away from the picture on the fridge to exchange looks with Custer before he looked straight at Fezco, his lips curling up into a smirk.

"She lives under my motherfuckin roof, son," Mouse informed him.

He smiled at the slightly surprised but confused look Fezco expressed, even letting out a little laugh at his reaction.

"What, she ain't tell you?" Mouse quizzed. "I seen you drop her off, pick her up. I seen you with her and my daughter at the fair, I seen you with her at Wayne's."

Fezco's heart was beating out of his chest, taking a minute to process everything that Mouse was telling him, and to think of why she never told him, but also thinking–why would she have told him? It's not like she knew Mouse was his supplier, or that they worked together.

"Why she live wit you?" Fezco wondered out loud.

"She my babymama's lil sister."

Well, at least she wasn't related to him. That was a huge relief.

But Fezco was everything but relieved. He didn't need or want Mouse knowing about his relationship with Mariah.

"You better treat her fuckin right," Mouse said. "Cause if you don't, shit ain't gonna be pretty. You best care for her like yo fuckin life depend on it."

"I'd do anythin for her," Fezco told him.

Mouse smirked, "Yeah, we'll see about that."

Fezco intensely started at the man before finally unclenching his jaw, his teeth hurting as he looked over at Ashtray, who was leaning in the doorframe of his room and the kitchen, eyes narrowed at Mouse before they met his brother's.

"What if he sent her as a set up?" Was the first thing Ashtray said after Mouse and Custer were outta the house.

"What?" Fezco's brows pulled together in question.

"Mariah. What if Mouse sent her to try to set us up," Ashtray thought, waiting for Fezco to say something, but he just stared at him for a good minute.

"Ash, that must be the dumbest shit you've said your whole life," Fezco muttered, shaking his head as he locked the door and sighed, running a hand over his head as he made his way to the table.

Ashtray scoffed, rather offended. "Think about it. She never said shit about living with Mouse."

"She told me she lived wit her sister and her sister's boyfriend, she just never said it was Mouse–"

"Exactly!"

"But why would she have said it? She don't know we know or him, or that we work wit him."

"That's what you think," Ashtray retorted. "It makes sense too, cause Mouse was the one who hooked you up with selling at the strip club she fucking works at."

"Bro, Ash, be fuckin for real–he didn't send Mariah to set us up," Fezco shook his head in disbelief with the kid.

Ashtray squinted at his brother. "How are you so sure?"

Because everything with her felt so real. There wasn't a way that Mariah could be the way she is with him and not be serious about any of it. Fezco was an observer, he knew when something was up. And he knew that Mouse didn't fucking send Mariah to set him up.

But if he tried to explain to Ashtray why, the kid would laugh at him and call him a simp, and an idiot for falling in love with this bitch so fast.

"C'mon bruh, I be fucking this girl raw," Fezco mumbled.

Ashtray didn't expect that at all, his face scrunching up in disgust with his brother.

"No fuckin way she out here settin us up, get the fuck outta here man," Fezco just shook his head at his brother again, ignoring the look of disgust he was being stared at with as he picked up a bag of pills, sighing before he started to sort them.

While Fezco busied himself with organizing his new product, Mariah exited the police station after giving a statement against Danny, making eye contact with some tall blonde girl in the lobby as she walked out.

She looked away to look down at her phone, she didn't know the girl or why she was staring at her, and she didn't care either, wanting to get the fuck out and away from the station asap.

She walked herself home, taking the 20 minutes it took to get there to think about whether or not Danny would know if she talked to the cops.

Danny would be informed by his lawyer that his ex girlfriend accused him of abusing her.

She wondered if he'd actually leak the video, even if it were the last thing he'd do as a free man.

Then Mariah found herself in her favorite boba shop, waiting for her order and thinking about Maddy. She really hoped that one day, Maddy would realize she deserved better, and she'd leave her abusive boyfriend like Mariah did.

Maybe she'll have her own Superman to save her from him, or maybe she'll be smart enough to leave on her own. She won't need another man to help her know her worth.

Mariah looked up upon hearing the boba shop employee calling her name for her order, followed by the employee calling out Maddy for another order.

She reached for her cup, glancing down at the hand that reached for the other before she looked up at who it belonged to to see Maddy. Just fucking great.

Mariah stared at her for a second before she walked out of the boba shop and continued walking home, stabbing the fat straw into her cup and taking a sip, deciding to think about better things. Nicer things. Things that made her happy.

The first thing that came to mind was Fezco. She missed him.

Mouse and Custer were counting money from all the re ups they conducted when Mariah walked into the house, making her roll her eyes since she had hoped she'd return to an empty house.

"Where you been at?" Mouse asked, looking up from the money he counted for a second.

"Just went to get boba," She held up the cup, awkwardly waving at Custer.

Mouse nodded in response, eyeing her as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a few Oreos, exchanging looks with Custer.

"Went to see your boy earlier," Mouse told her with a low chuckle.

Mariah split one of the Oreo's in half, eating the black part of the cookie before she licked the white middle part as she looked over at Mouse.

How many times did she have to tell everyone that she's a million times fucking done with Danny.

"It's cute, Fezco got a lil picture of you two on his fridge."

Mariah froze as she ate her Oreo, "What?"

"What? You thought I bought all that he's just my bouncer bullshit?" Mouse asked her with a scoff.

"So you decided to go to his house because–"

"Nah, I went to his house cause we needed to re up. You know he sells drugs, right? He sells for me," Mouse told her.

Oh. Well that made sense. Mouse had been really annoying about who Fezco was, and got really defensive when he asked if she had been going out with her bouncer.

But that wasn't a good thing.

"Leave Fezco alone. Like actually, you were hella mean to Danny–"

"He fucking deserved it though, didn't he?" Mouse asked her as they both remembered how fucked up Mouse had been to Danny when he and Mariah first got together–he was jealous. "I was doing you a favor in advance."

"Yeah, I know, but this is different, and Fezco's not like him. Seriously, leave him alone," Mariah said.

Mouse raised his eyebrows at Custer in a laughing way before chuckling, slightly shrugging his shoulders as he thumbed through his bills.

Mariah gave him a look before she just disappeared into her room, softly belly flopping onto her bed and opening her phone to text Fezco and ask if he wanted to hang out, desperately needing to leave the house and not just to go down to the police station for some bullshit.

iMessage

Lil Lovebug🐛
so like since I'm not dying
anymore and I miss u

Lil Lovebug🐛
you wanna kick it?:)

Superman💋
Sorry ma I'm hella busy today

Superman💋
Ima try to swing by later tho
cuz I wanna see you

Superman💋
Miss u more

Mariah smiled at his texts, giggling to herself all excitedly while on the other end, Ashtray scoffed in disapproval, shaking his head as he read the texts between Fezco and Mariah while he helped sort their new product.

Lil Lovebug🐛
its ok and yesss pls do

Superman💋
You should stay the night

Lil Lovebug🐛
say less im literally dying
to leave this house

Lil Lovebug🐛
ima make u watch a cinderella
story today btw

Superman💋
Aight but we watching the
Goonies after

Lil Lovebug🐛
sounds like a date :) cant wait

Lil Lovebug🐛
I literally miss u so much

Lil Lovebug🐛
youre getting I missed u head

Superman💋
Bro stfu Ash is over here being
nosy asf reading our shit

Superman💋
😂😂😂😂😂😂

Lil Lovebug🐛
not my problem tf

Lil Lovebug🐛
nobody told him 2 b nosy

Superman💋
🤦‍♂️

Superman💋
Facts

Lil Lovebug🐛
don't worry tho bby ur still
getting that head 💜💜

Superman💋
Word das wsp

Superman💋
I ain't gon last tho

Lil Lovebug🐛
nothing new ;)

Superman💋
Oh aight

Superman💋
Das how it's gonna be?

Lil Lovebug🐛
yup ;)

Superman💋
We gonna see then mama

Superman💋
Ima text you in a bit

Lil Lovebug🐛
kk be safe, mwah

Superman💋
What's that?

Lil Lovebug🐛
a kiss :)

Fezco smiled down at his phone reading her last two texts, feeling Ashtray nudge him and give him a teasing smirk when he looked up at him.

"Y'all are fucking corny as fuck," Ashtray told him.

"Shut up bruh, you just mad cause she like me and not you," Fezco mocked him, aware of Ashtray's little crush on her.

Ashtray scoffed, half in disgust and half in offense. "That's why she's setting your ass up."

Fezco kissed his teeth, "Come on mane, you still with that?" He gave the kid besides an amused look, watching him carelessly bag some pills.

"Yup."

"Wait til she hears you," Fezco scoff laughed. "She stayin over tonight."

Ashtray just glared at his brother–it's not that he was fully convinced Mouse might be setting them up using Mariah and he hated her now, but he had his suspicions. He, like Fezco, knew there was no way she was setting them up, but he couldn't be so sure just yet.

"Gon be laughin at you and the stupid shit you be sayin," Fezco shook his head and laughed.

"We'll see if it's stupid when the cops are at the fucking door."

—$—

"Why doesn't your dad help you with this, I never even did my own homework," Mariah said to Reyna as she looked over her homework packet to help.

Everyone was home now, with the company of Custer, all waiting around for the pizzas that Mouse ordered to arrive so they could eat.

Well, they were waiting for the pizza, Mariah was excitedly waiting for Fezco's text, letting her know that he was on his way to pick her up.

It was dark out now, and the last she heard from Fezco was 30 minutes ago when he told her he needed to go deliver a couple things somewhere and then close up the store before he could go get her.

"Mark's a middle school drop out, he wouldn't be much help anyways," Isabella muttered from where she made a bottle for the baby in the kitchen, eliciting a laugh from Mariah.

She glanced over at Mouse and Custer watching a football game on the TV in the living room, then looked back at Reyna besides her, who was coloring with some crayons on some blank paper.

"That's your man," Mariah teased her sister, giggling because although her man was also a drop out, he'd definitely at least still help his kids with their homework in the future. Shit, he helped his little brother now.

Isabella just rolled her eyes, annoyed with Mouse in the moment.

"So when are you gonna invite your little boyfriend over?" Isabella asked Mariah, switching the topic as she took a seat at the table with Carlos in her arms.

"Never," Mariah answered as she handed Reyna the packet back and started explaining to her how she needed to do it.

"Why not?" Isabella gave her a look.

"Ask Mark," Mariah mumbled, nodding at Reyna when she looked up after correctly doing her homework.

"Mark, what the fuck did you do to Mari's boyfriend?" Isabella yelled, well aware of Mouse's controlling overprotective tendencies.

"I ain't do shit! The fuckin princess mad cause she got caught fucking one of my dealers," Mouse scoffed.

Isabella just raised an eyebrow before glancing at Mariah, then just went back to feeding Carlos the bottle. She knew good and well who her babydaddy was, and what he did with a few of his dealers besides drug dealing.

"What are we eating for dinner?" Reyna asked her mom, sneaking her crayon into her hand to color instead of doing her homework.

"Your dad ordered pizza and wings," Isabella replied.

"I hate pizza," Reyna groaned.

"You like the shit from Chuck E. Cheese," Mariah called her out.

"Only because Chuck E. made it," Reyna excused.

Mariah gave her a confused look, "The rat?"

"Yup."

"And you're okay with a rat touching your food? That's gross."

"No it's not. Rat's are my friends. Like my daddy."

"I ain't no fuckin rat," Mouse scoffed from the living room. "It's Mouse, baby."

He peeked out the window, noticing a car pull up through the blinds, making him look over at Custer.

"Go get the pizza," Mouse told him.

"Nah, you ordered it, this your house," Custer shook his head, too lazy to get up to get the pizza.

"You're fucking lucky I don't got my gun to fuckin shoot you," Mouse snarled before glancing at Mariah at the table. "Go get the pizza, Mari."

"No," She said, also too lazy to get up to get the pizza, making Mouse sigh.

"I'll get it," Reyna volunteered.

"I'm kidding lovebug, I'll get it," Mariah told her and got up, wasn't about to let the little girl open the door for the pizza guy.

Fezco had just dropped Ashtray off at home after closing up the store and was now sat in his car and typing a text to his girl to let her know he was on his way when he got a call, but not from his girl.

Mouse.

He sighed in frustration as he tapped the green accept button, putting his phone to his ear as he spoke, "What you want bro."

Mariah frowned at the way his words were laced with pure annoyance, then remembered that she was calling from Mouse's phone and not her own.

"Fezco," She said, side eyeing Mouse next to her as he drove.

"Yeah, ma?" Fezco furrowed his eyebrows, double checking the caller ID to make sure he wasn't trippen when he read Mouse's name off of it.

Mariah looked over to Mouse, waiting for him to tell her what to tell Fezco since he made her call him.

When Mariah went to get the pizza, it wasn't the pizza guy, and Mariah didn't know that until she opened the door and stepped outside to get the pizza, having a hand wrapped around her throat the second she was outside.

Everything moved so fast, it went from being pressed up against the door with no space since Danny was all up on her, listening to him confront her because she spoke to the cops and not being able to breathe due to his hand tightly wrapped around her throat, listening to him talk all this shit and throw all these threats at her while he almost choked her to death, to falling back against Custer as Danny released his hand from around her throat while Mouse sent his fist into Danny's face after opening the front door.

She thought it was all a dream until she heard Isabella screaming at Mouse to stop because the babies were present and crying, which led to Custer letting go of Mariah from where he held her back to grab Danny and drag him into his car upon Mouse's request.

Mouse spoke to Custer for a second before he walked back into the house as Custer drove off with Danny in his car, sending Reyna to her room and ignoring Isabella.

"Get in the car, Mariah," Mouse said as he grabbed his keys.

Confused but way too scared to talk back or refuse, Mariah went and got in Mouse's car, waiting a few minutes before he got in and drove off in the same direction Custer did.

The first few minutes of the car ride were filled with an awkward and uncomfortable silence, not counting Mariah's sniffles. Then Mouse told her to call Fezco, but she had left her phone back at the house, so he have her his phone to call him from instead.

"Mariah, whus wrong? You all good?" Fezco asked, concerned with why she was calling from Mouse's phone.

"Go on, tell him," Mouse encouraged her, talking about what had just happened.

But Mariah couldn't, bursting into silent but also not so silent tears instead, making Mouse sigh and take the phone from her.

"Listen to me," Mouse said into his phone.

"What the fuck's happenin man?" Fezco asked him, genuinely worried.

"I need you to get in your car and meet me in the empty shopping plaza on Highland street, straight up," Mouse told Fezco.

"Wassup with Mariah, whus wrong?" Fezco questioned.

"Ion even know if she can fuckin breathe right, you good, Mariah?" Mouse turned to Mariah, scaring the fuck out of Fezco. "Her fuckin ex boyfriend pulled up putting his hands on her and shit. You said you'd do anything for her, right? You best come prove yourself."

That was all Fezco needed to hear. That someone put their hands on his girl. That Danny put his hands on his girl again.

Mariah sat in Mouse's car, parked in the middle of the abandoned plaza on Highland street, which was all tagged up and all the buildings are broken into with failed or run down or relocated shops and businesses.

Custer's car was parked in front of Mouse's, Danny being dragged out and shoved the hard concrete ground of the parking lot before he received a kick to his ribs.

Custer and Mouse shared a blunt as they watched him beg them to let him go, but that wasn't up to either of them. It was up to Fezco.

The wind of the night breezed through the car due to the windows being down, drying the tears that fell from Mariah's eyes, but making her shake with the cold. Or maybe she was just scared, she didn't really know.

Mariah didn't look away from Danny not once until she heard another car pulling up, glancing over to see Fezco's.

The couple met eyes as Fezco got out of his car, his eyes softening when they laid on his girlfriend, but then hardened again like they had been on his way over, nothing but pure rage controlling him when his eyes flickered over to Danny laying on the ground with Custer's foot to his chest to keep him down.

Fezco didn't waste any time, ignoring whatever Mouse was saying to him as he walked over and shoved Custer away and threw the first punch.

Mariah watched as Fezco got on top, grabbing the collar of Danny's shirt and repeatedly smashing his fist into his face.

If he fuck wit you again, ima fuckin kill him. For real

I'll kill any motherfucker that tries to fuck wit you

Fezco's own words to Mariah repeated in his head as he beat the literal fuck out of Danny, eventually gathering his blood on his knuckles, punching so hard that his hand was pain.

But he wouldn't stop. This was long overdue. Fezco wouldn't stop, not when he knew all that he had done to Mariah, not when he remembered the pure fear in Mariah's eyes when he saved her from him.

Mariah watched from her seat in Mouse's car, watching Fezco's back muscles flexing through his shirt every time his fist collided with Danny's face, watching the angry expression on Fezco's face as he did what he told her he'd do.

Her heart was beating out of her chest, in fright, but also with so much love. She loved this man.

She loved this man that'd do anything for her.

It wasn't until Fezco himself physically couldn't take another punch that he stopped, staring down at the all the blood on Danny's face as he let go of Danny's collar, letting his head bash into the ground, much like Danny had bashed Mariah's head into the door earlier when he pushed her against it.

He didn't know whether he was even breathing or not, but he didn't fucking care. Not like Danny cared if Mariah was breathing when he choked her.

Fezco didn't feel shit but accomplishment as he got off of Danny, keeping his eyes on him for a good few seconds before he peered at Mouse, who just smirked in amusement from where he leaned on the hood of his car.

"He's a keeper," Mouse announced as he glanced over his shoulder at Mariah in his car before looking at Custer. "Let's bounce, we got business."

Fezco caught his breath, taking one last look at Danny as Mouse and Custer got into their respective cars before Fezco made his way to his own.

Mouse looked Mariah up and down as he turned his car on, then looked over at Fezco, whistling to get his attention.

"Take her home," Mouse told him and half nodded in Mariah's direction.

Fezco looked at Mariah before nodding, reaching for the door handle of the car to open the door for her.

"Such a gentleman," Mouse smirked at Mariah as she got out of his car, taking the clean hand that Fezco held out to help her.

Mariah ignored him, slamming the door closed before Fezco could, hearing Custer drive off, followed shortly by Mouse.

Fezco stared at Mariah as he walked her to his car, stared at her as he opened the passenger door for her, stared at her as he helped her in, noting the way she avoided eye contact.

He leaned in and gave her forehead a kiss before he closed her door and walked to his own, getting into his car and wasting no time in exiting the plaza.

The car ride was silent. Fezco had his usual music playing really low, but between him and Mariah, it was silent. It reminded him a lot of the night when he saved her from Danny.

Mariah spent the whole car ride silently hoping he would take her home to his house, trying to fight the tears of disappointment from escaping her eyes when he pulled up in front of hers.

"Go get yo things so we can go to my place," Fezco softly spoke, nudging Mariah's arm with his elbow.

She finally turned to look at him, completely breaking his fucking heart. "Can you come with me?"

Fezco agreed, getting out of his car so he could open her door and go inside with her.

As she led him to her room, he wondered how he hadn't noticed the pictures with Mouse in them before.

He was always just way too caught up with Mariah.

next is mouse
then nate <3