A Rose In Harlem

39

     Bishop couldn't sleep for the past two days. He has never been use to being this tired. He didn't know how Chicago did it- every two hours he would wake up due to some nightmare which was really all due to the stress he was under. Was it his place? Every time he tried to bring it up with Chicago he would tell Bishop to drop it. Chicago truly didn't want to know- but maybe it would help if he knew Titan didn't know about him until it was too late? Bishop couldn't imagine the fear of loosing a child- but he also wondered how different Chicago life could've been if Titan had helped him and his mother. Most likely he still would be where he is today working for Titan, but you never know. Sometimes a mother's love is strong enough to change the path.  It was 5 am and he had class- Bishop was up once again.

    He didn't do well with high stress situations, of course this whole month had been that but usually being near Chicago would help. But with this one? It only made him feel even more guilty. Maybe he should let Luiane or Kenya tell him. He shifted slightly and the snoring stopped- unlike him not being able to sleep Chicago had been sleeping a lot better. Bishop never wanted to be the one to ruin it so he would just lay as still as he could under Chicago —in his mind it worked but he knew it didn't. The man was a light sleeper- maybe it was the trauma or the lifestyle he lived but it's like he could feel the temperature change and that would wake him up.  "What's up with you?" Chicago asked his eyes still closed as if he was trying to hold on tight to the sleep. "I know your ass up" he added and Bishop just looked at the male who still had his eyes closed. The way the dim light from the moon showed his face perfectly Bishop just blinked slightly then snuggled back into him.

  "How did you know?"

"I'm an alert person" he responded and Bishop was going to ask another question but he realized he already knew the answer. Of course he was always this alert. He kill's people for a living.

  "I'm sorry I woke you up—

"Is you good?" Chicago only asked and Bishop just hummed in response. "So go to sleep- your ass got class in a few hours"

  "I'm trying" Bishop started, " Podrías ponerme a dormir hermoso" he hummed and Chicago just smacked his lips. Bishop couldn't help but laugh at the boys frustration.

  "I barely know English  Bishop" he complained and that made Bishop smack his lips which got a small smirk on the man's face. He finally opened his eyes and Bishop felt his heart flutter. "All I got was sleep and handsome? No- you don't say that shit you always trynna make me sound like a girl but that's not pretty.. I know that word by now" Chicago tried and Bishop just kissed his face.

  "Beautiful" he finally told him and Chicago just rolled his eyes. "I said you could always put me to sleep" he added and Chicago rolled his eyes once more.  Chicago only rested beside Bishop and looked at the ceiling. Bishop watched the man slightly confused- he didn't pull Bishop on top of him, he didn't touch him just laid there and stared. Bishop even found himself looking up every so often to see if there was something up there. There wasn't.  Bishop tried to tell himself Chicago wasn't a very affectionate person- so he shouldn't worry. But Chicago was usually affectionate to Bishop. Sometimes he  was  still hard for Bishop to understand. Lately he has been understanding why him and Kenya were so close— she knew Chicago, like really knew him and she knew Sly. Chicago didn't have many people in his life like that- the people at the trap knew Sly- shit barely anyone knew the real Chicago. If you were lucky you can catch glimpses of it. Those glimpses made Bishops heart skip. But to know both? It was like finally reading two sides of the same story. Either way he knew this secret he was keeping? Even if Chicago said he didn't care he knew the boy in the picture smiling ear to ear- the little boy who watched his mother died? He knew he cared. He deserves to know- especially being that Titan didn't know anything about him. Chicago deserves to have the hope that if he did know he would've came and saved him- the little boy needed to know someone would've saved him.  But Chicago wasn't that little boy anymore, he wasn't saved and it changed him— Bishop often wondered how different he would be.  His mind would always end with that, he wondered if that Chicago would still be laying in his bed right now.