Dangerously In Love

~𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕~

"Hello? Is anyone there?" DaMario's voice echoed out into the darkness as he strolled down a path that he didn't look familiar. There was no light, no candle or even a lamp, just a black abyss. Not only was it dark, but it was cold too. DaMario wandered off into a random direction in hopes of finding SOME way out, but it seemed like his little stroll had no end to it. "This is weird...where the am I?" He asked himself as he scratched the back of his head. With a thud, he bumps into something hard and he reaches his hand out to feel and see what it was. Out of nowhere, a light appears above him and DaMario had to blink so that his eyes were adjusted to the brightness. Looking down, there was a desk with a folder placed on top and a pack of white owl blunts next to it. That must've been what he bumped into. With a shrug, DaMario opens the package and takes out one blunt before placing it in his mouth. He pats himself down in search for a lighter but didn't have one on him. "Damn..no light." He muttered. Picking up the folder that read 'From brother and pop', he opens it up and pulls out two photos. One of them was a picture of his dad on a couch with a cup in his hand and the other one was a picture of his brother with two slices of pizza hanging out of his mouth. The first picture he didn't recognize, but the second one was all too familiar. It was the day before Lee was murdered. After all these years, DaMario still couldn't believe both his father and his brother were gone for good. Lee and he were close, almost inseparable. Hakeem..well he never really had that close of a connection with him. He died when Mario was just a baby, so who could blame him. That doesn't mean anything though, he still wished he had an opportunity to spend time with him. Stuffing the pictures in his pocket, he noticed two hands placed on the desk, one chocolate-colored one and the other was more of a caramel tone. "What in the-" DaMario started while looking up to see who was across from him. With wide eyes, he stared at the two figures in front of him. His mouth was agape, making the blunt fall from between his lips and onto the ground. There, in flesh and blood, stood Hakeem and Lee with grins across their faces. "Hey boy, long time no see." Hakeem spoke, his voice was echoey and ghostly which sent chills down DaMario's spine. Hakeem stared at Mario with cold, dark brown eyes as he adjusted his durag. He seemed emotional with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face trying to fight back tears. The gold grill in his mouth gleamed in the light. Ayanna always described DaMario's father as a thug, but she also mentioned that he always had a soft spot for his children. "You've...grown a lot since the day I last saw you. Looking just like yo' mom." Hakeem gulped out as he got a good look of his son. "Come over here and give your old man a hug." Without a second thought, DaMario was in his dad's arms instantly. He hugged him tight and refused to let go. It all felt too real and too good to be true. Mario was so caught up and focused on his dad that he didn't even notice another pair of arms wrapping around him. Quickly stepping back, he saw Lee standing next to Hakeem. His hair was done in dreads, just like DaMario's, and he still had that little black bandaid across his nose. "What's up little bro? I missed the hell outta you.." Lee says with open arms, leaving DaMario bewildered and shocked. Tears were starting to form in his eyes as he ran and hugged his long lost brother. It's been so long, it's been too long. Hakeem decided to join the hug too and they all shared a warm embrace from each other. "So, how's Ayanna and Keiko? I wanna know how my two girls are doing." DaMario rubbed his arm. "They're okay, just dealing with their own stuff I guess. They both said they miss you.." "you calling her by her real name now, huh?" Lee said sternly, but it was a joke. "I miss mom a lot, but, it is what it is." He states while shoving his hands in his pockets. A couple of chairs appear out of thin air and the three all take a seat. "And I heard about this new honey you have your eyes on, son. The way Lee described her, she sounds like a real keeper." Hakeem spoke and sat back in his chair. "All I know is that you better treat her differently than all the other hoes you brought home to your step-mother. Like I always use to tell Lee, a girl that truly makes you happy is a girl worth fighting for." That saying sounded oddly familiar to DaMario. "But don't get it twisted, just because she makes you happy doesn't mean she's the one for you. People have masks and they love to hide behind them.." DaMario was confused at his father's words but knew he was right. "I honestly do believe this is the one for me, pop. She's different and my mind gets fuzzy every time I think about her." His stomach had butterflies just from talking about her. "As long as your happy, then I'm happy." Hakeem says with another smile plastered on his face. There was a loud ringing sound, almost like a church bell, that rung three times before stopping. Sighing, Hakeem stood up and cupped DaMario's face in his hands. He leans down and kisses his son's forehead. "It's time for me to go now. Tell your mother I said hello for me, yeah?" He turns to walk away, but before he takes another step, he looks back and waves at DaMario. "I love you..and I always will.." His voice was shaky and on the brink of sobbing. With a blink of an eye, he disappears into nothingness. "I don't see how you can smoke this weird-ass brand little brother." Lee complained as he lit one of the white owl blunts and placed it between his lips. DaMario stared at him for a bit before wiping away a tear and chuckling. "It's the shit I'm used to, don't hate on me." They both share a laugh. Lee puffs on his blunt and offers it to DaMario, in which he gladly accepts it. It was denied, however, once he tried to hand it back to him. The vibe changed dramatically between them in an instant. Lee looked as if he wanted to say something, but decided not to. "Happy belated birthday, by the way, old man. Did my Malaysia spoil you like always on your special day?" He asked, referring to his lover, Pinkie. "You know she always does. I didn't even want anything this year. But I guess she always comes through for me." Lee nodded his head and stood up. "As she should. I told her that if I ever left, I wanted her to look after you and she's doing just that." DaMario stands up as well and hugs Lee one last time. "You gotta go now, don't you? I don't want you to.." he muttered as Lee hugged him back tightly. "I gotta go back with dad, but you already know I'll always be there with you." That may be true, but it wasn't the same without him physically being there. Lee daps up DaMario before turning around to leave once the bell began to ring. "W-wait! That wasn't enough time!" DaMario yelled out as he ran after his brother, but every step he took it seemed like he wasn't able to catch up, even though Lee was just walking normally. "Hold up, wait! Please!" Reaching out, he grabbed his shoulder but Lee had already disappeared. With a puzzled expression, DaMario frantically looked around. "No no, you can't leave me like this! Not again!" The air around him was toxic, he coughed and coughed until he fell to his knees and cradled himself. "DaMario....DaMario.." he heard his name being called in all directions and he covered his ears, but the voice got louder. "DaMario!" Phoenix shouted in his ear, making him jolt awake from his sleep. He had sweat dripping from his forehead and his body temperature was high. The rhythm of his heartbeat thumped rapidly in his chest as he looked around and realized he was at home. "You okay dude? You were really out of it." Phoenix states as he left his side and disappeared into the kitchen. Wiping his hand over his face, DaMario looks down and sees one of the White Owl blunts placed in his ashtray. He must've smoked that right before he fell asleep. "I just dropped by to ask if you wanted to go out for drinks later on tonight with me, Ji, Isis, Diana, and Pinkie. You down or are you still tripping?" Sighing, DaMario sits up and slicks his hair back, only for it to go back into place. "No, I can manage. What bar are we going to?" Phoenix sits down next to him as he pulled out his phone. "Look, it's like an old fashioned type bar where we wear kimonos and stuff." He shows DaMario the website and he lets him scroll down to read the information. "And they have the little tables there, you know, the ones on the floor with the blanket around it?" Phoenix was excited to go out tonight, but the only reason why he wanted to have this little get together was because he knew Isis would be there. Getting up, DaMario yawns before stretching then heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth. "I might be a little late though, I got night watch again." He states. Phoenix rummages through Mario's refrigerator and takes out a carton of orange juice. "Hey uh, is that chick still out there tryna kill you? It's been a while.." DaMario's assassin hasn't been very active lately, and that worried Phoenix. "Who knows, maybe she's plotting on my downfall. I was thinking about scoping her out, you know, like a steak out." DaMario suggested after rinsing his mouth out with mouthwash. "Oh yeah? What a great way for me to die faster." Replied Phoenix sarcastically. "If we wanna know who she is and why she's after me, then we have to do this." DaMario stepped out of the bathroom with an arrogant expression on his face. "Not that she'll ever kill me," he began, "I'm a god, after all."