Ash & Dust

4| He Was Hungry

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DUST
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Being told to lay low by Shai meant I didn't have to spend my days on street corners, busting my ass trying to make sales. I could go out and live my life, as simple as that sounds, but the moment the heat died down, I'd be right back in chains. For now, I'd take advantage of this freedom.

"Yo, Micky, what's the plan for tonight?" I asked, leaning onto the kitchen counter, shoveling spoonful after spoonful of Lucky Charms into my mouth. I swear, cereal was all we fucking ate around here if his lady wasn't over.

"I don't know, man. You pick," he yawned, scratching the back of his head as he came in. "Hey! That better not be the last of-" Yanking the empty cereal box into his hands, his eyes widened, quickly filling with light anger as he chucked it at me. "You fucker! You're buying me a replacement. Today."

"Yeah yeah, I gotcha, bro," I shrugged him off.

"I'm serious, Dust."

"I know," I restated, looking at him. He was fidgeting. Staring a little longer, I knew something was bothering him, and it wasn't just that we were out of cereal. "Why are you being weird?"

"What?" he questioned. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Mick-"

"I'm fuckin' fine, bro! Chill! Like, damn," he exclaimed, trying to convince me. The idiot still hadn't learned that he could never pull one over on me. I knew him like that back of my hand. Plus, his eyes were so damn big I swear you could see right into his soul or something.

Sighing, I made my way over, firmly grabbing his shoulders to still him, since he was still fidgeting like an addict trying to get clean. Something had been bothering him the past couple of days, and I tried to ignore it, give him his space, but that wasn't working. If it was anybody else, I'd let them wallow in their issues, considering I had my own to deal with, but not with him. Micky was my brother in every aspect but blood. I always had time for him.

"This got anything to do with what almost happened to Maizie?" I asked, tilting my head to the side a bit, my eyes squinting slightly as I studied him.

When Micky got home a few nights ago, he went on and on about how Maizie could have died and it would have been his fault. Apparently he got into some argument with his girl and they got distracted. Thankfully, some lady had been there and saved my goddaughter's life. I would have fucking fell apart if anything happened to that little angel. I swear, she's the only pure thing in my life.

"I just want to do right by her, man," he said, exhaling. "I'm tryna' talk Amy into livin' with me, but she's fuckin' stubborn as hell."

"Well, convince her."

"With what? Sex?" he scoffed, which wasn't far from where I was going with this. "I already knocked her up, Dust. Twice. I don't know what else the woman wants from me. I mean, you'd think me askin' her to move in would make her happy. Fuck no. She was pissed, said she was expectin' me to ask her somethin' else. Well, what the fuck am I suppose to do now? I don't know what the woman wants from me."

Nodding my head, I tried to come up with some sort of advice that could help him, but kept coming up short. Eventually, I settled on, "I planned on seeing my Moms today, since I had nothing else to do. You can come, ask her about Amy, see what she says cause I don't have a goddamn clue what to tell you."

Thinking on it for a moment, he agreed. "Yeah. Yeah, couldn't hurt. Plus, it's been a minute since I seen ya' Moms."

After finding something else to eat, since I ate the rest of the cereal, Micky got dressed. It didn't take me long to do the same. Deciding I didn't feel like combing my mess of hair, I pulled a dark grey beanie on and was waiting for him at the front door.