Rally 'Round the Rap God - Fan Fic Eminem

Marshall's Meeting

I arrived at Rally's place just a minute before seven. I'm too old to be nervous about meeting a woman's family, but I would admit that I had some qualms. In my younger years, I wasn't often welcomed by my girlfriend's folks. Although many people backed way the fuck off that once I had a few hits, I still have doubts lodged in my psyche about whether I'm good enough. There's just some things that you can't un-feel, no matter how far you've come.

Rally answered the door on the first knock and, instead of letting me in, stepped into the hallway. My defenses raised immediately, because that just wasn't the norm for us and the only reason she'd do it had to be because of her brother. I didn't say anything though, as she leaned up to kiss me.

Although there was feeling behind it, I could tell Rally was keyed up. She was worried about something and I couldn't help but wonder if it was me. When we parted, I searched her eyes for a clue as I spoke.

"What's the problem?" I asked and she sighed and glanced around the hallway before she responded.

"I'm worried you won't like my brother." She said, and I could tell from her eyes that she meant it. Relieved that she wasn't worried about me being accepted, I couldn't help but let the breath I'd been holding go. I pulled her closer to me as I frowned, though.

"Why?" I asked.

"He's temperamental." Rally said with a twist of her lips. "Sometimes, he is the nicest person you've ever met. Other times, he's the biggest dick on the planet." She answered and I chuckled.

"Not possible. I hold that title." I said, trying to get her to smile. I succeeded, which warmed me. I nodded to the door behind her and squeezed her waist.

"Nothing he does is going to change what we have unless we let it." I said and Rally nodded as she raised a hand to lightly swirl her fingers over my hair above my ear.

"Alright." She said. "Then let's go inside."

We walked in and Rally directed us to the living room, where her brother was sitting on the couch and having a beer. He was about my height and had longer dark hair, the ends of it coming just over the collar of his shirt. As he stood, I noticed that he had a few tattoos on his right arm, though I couldn't tell what they were because the sleeve of his shirt had come down to cover most of them. He reached out his hand, shifting his beer over to the other, as I approached.

"Riot," he said by way of introduction and I couldn't help the look I gave Rally in response. Her brother caught it and smirked.

"Yeah, our parents thought they were funny." He explained and I nodded as I shook his hand.

"Marshall," I said and he nodded and then gestured to the seating in the living room.

"Why don't we sit and chat for a little while Rally finishes up in the kitchen." He said and my hackles rose a little. There was something about the way he spoke about Rally that didn't sit well with me. I gave Rally a look, though, and she just smiled and kissed my cheek.

"I'll be done with dinner in just a few minutes. Do you want something to drink?" She asked and I nodded.

"Water would be good." I said and she walked off to get it.

After she came back in and handed me a bottle, I moved over to the recliner in the room and sat. I didn't know shit about Riot, and I frankly wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I also didn't have a good handle on whether I should admit to being in the dark as to his existence.

"Why are you fucking my sister?" Riot asked out of the blue and I swallowed the drink I had hard, the sting of the sudden movement making me pause before I responded.

"What the fuck?" I asked, my brows coming together as I stared at him in disbelief.

"You heard me. Why are you fucking Rally?" He repeated.

"That's none of your fucking business." I responded. Riot didn't look upset or angry, which was throwing me off. He looked like he really was curious about what my reasons for being with Rally were.

"Nah." He denied. "She's my sister. If you're using her, I have to fuck you up." He said calmly, as if we were talking about the weather. I flushed with anger and got out of my chair to move closer to him. He stood as I did and we were nose to nose.

"I'm no user, asshole. You want to go? Let's see what you've got." I said as I felt the veins in my neck straining with the rage that was now flowing. Riot looked in my eyes and nodded and sat down.

"So, you love her then." He stated, his voice still not carrying a single emotion.

I clenched my fists as I tried to get my breathing under control. I closed my eyes and raised my head, looking to the ceiling when I opened them. I couldn't decide if Riot was a fucking lunatic or the smartest man I'd ever met, because it hadn't taken him more than a few words to get me to admit, without even saying it, what I felt.

When I had a decent hold on my temper, I looked back down to see him eyeing me with a raised brow. Fucker was cocky. My gaze shifted to the kitchen where I knew Rally was and when I looked back to Riot, he chuckled.

"Got it. You haven't told her." He said with a swig of his beer. I rolled my jaw before responding, knowing I had to say something or he'd fuck shit up for me.

"You know that shit isn't yours to say." I said, working to bring my tone back to normal. If Rally came out and heard me right now, she'd know that I was pissed at Riot and that would raise questions I didn't want to answer. Riot shrugged and took another drink.

"Sure do and I won't. Needed to know it, though." He replied and I breathed a little easier. I moved to sit down again and he nodded his chin at me.

"Look," he said. "Rally's tough and can handle herself most of the time, but I can tell she's got a soft spot for you." He continued.

"I don't usually get involved in her shit, but she talks differently about you." He looked back to the kitchen as he spoke. "She's the only person in the world who loves me for who I am and doesn't try to change me." His gaze switched to me. "I'm sure you understand what a big fucking deal that is."

I nodded slightly. If there's anything I know, it's that finding someone who cares about you for who you are, rather than who they think you should be, is hard. Riot may be an asshole for how he did it, but in his own way, I could see that he was trying to protect Rally. I shook my head with a twist of my lips as I took a drink of my water. Dre had fucking called it.