Maybe you don't need the whole world to love you. You know? Maybe you just need one person.

Kermit the Frog

The bar is loud as we enter, both my hands clutching one of Dalaric's. Some eyes linger on us, mainly me next to him. My attempt at hiding behind Dalaric's much taller and larger form is futile when he pulls me right in front of him. We stop in front of a pool table that's and surrounded by a group of boys- or men- and I freeze. , their gazes cold and calculating. I'm meeting his family. People that matter to him, and now to me. What if-

I don't have any more time to doubt myself before Dalaric gives me a subtle push towards the front of the table. I accidentally touch one of the pool balls and try and place it back but it's too late, since everyone's eyes are already on me. Great going, Maya.

The first person I notice is a tall man, looking about the same age as Dalaric with a slightly lighter skin tone of light brown. His hair is styled in really cool shiny waves and he has an angry face- both eye brows naturally arched. Like an angry bird. It looks like he's a mix of something but I can't put my finger on it.

The other boy is the odd one out with his pale skin and shaved head. He looks scary with a scar that drags from the edge of his mouth to his left brown eye, adding to his terrifying aura. He has a pink bracelet on his wrist that mismatches the bruised fists and dark grey tracksuit.

Next to him stands the shortest boy of the group- probably around 5'10. He has a scrutinizing look in his eyes but has soft features, reminding me of Rafael's goofiness. I don't think he likes me.

I also don't realize that I haven't spoken until the angry bird speaks up.

"Who the hell are you ?" My gaze immediately shifts to my side, where Dalaric is supposed to be and I almost pout when I see him at the drink bar along with Raf and Jan. They left me defenseless.

"I, uh, I'm Maya ! Nice to meet you all. How do you do ?" I play with my fingers as I shift awkwardly, hyper aware of the multiple scary gazes on my potato self.

"That's Ricky's name on there," The pale boy nods to the hoodie I'm wearing, and all the boys walk forward to inspect it. Angry bird stands right in front of me, crossing his arms to probably intimidate me. I'm in love with an assassin so that won't work with me, bud.

"Where'd you get this from?" Angry bird asks, Goofy boy coming to stand next to him and also crossing his arms.

"Um- I took it from our closet." I furrow my brows when he gets angrier, stepping closer to my face. I hope my lip gloss isn't smudged since I had to keep reapplying it because of a certain caveman.

"You one of those girls who steal after getting fuc-" My mouth gapes open at his tone and I cower back, hitting a warm, familiar chest.

"You know better than to say shit to my girl, Alejandro." My boyfriend, who deserted me, wraps his arms around my waist and keeps me close to his side, his voice strict and deep which tells me he's tells me he's the most powerful out of his family too. Aw. Angry bird, or Alejandro, widens his eyes and blinks a few times.

"Your girl ? You for real, Ricky?" He looks between the both of us, a shocked look gracing his face. I don't blame him since it is kind of hard to believe me, an adorable intellectual, is dating an angsty assassin who loves shoving his face under my shirt.

"Better not say some shit you'll regret, Ale." The pale boy mutters, playing with the bracelet on his wrist with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Goofy comes forward and drags away a scowling Alejandro before the pale boy walks towards me and puts out his hand.

"The name's Dean. Nice to meet you, Maya." He nods at me then at Dalaric, who shakes his hand before I can. Jelly cakes.

"Where's your girl ?" My eyes grow hopeful at Dalaric's question to Dean. It would've been nice to have a female friend right now. I would've asked Fatima to come along but I know she isn't allowed to drink and I don't want to put her in an uncomfortable situation. If I did ask her, she would've said yes because apparently, 'One can't say no to munchkins.'

Dean smiles at the mention of his girlfriend and shakes his head subtly, uncrossing his arms and shoving his hands in his pocket when a light hue of pink flushes across his cheeks. The blush doesn't match his hard features at all.

"She's shy. Didn't wanna come." I secretly coo at the way he speaks about her, looking somewhere else with a smile. I poke Dean to get his attention and he quirks a brow.

"You should bring her next time ! I'd like to be her friend, if she'd like that." I smile at him, already understanding why Dalaric keeps this boy in his circle. Dean nods with a thoughtful look in his eyes before looking above me- probably at Dalaric.

"I like her." I'm pretty sure Dalaric glares at him because Dean smirks and walks towards Jan and Raf. I turn around in the hold of my man and grin at him. "One down, two to go!" Dalaric kisses my forehead before leading us to the end of the pool table, where Alejandro and goofy stand in a heated discussion.

"He really into white girls now ? The fuck ?" A frown appears on my face as I hear the tone in

his voice. I already dislike whatever he's implying.

"Calm the fuck down, Ale. It ain't any of your business." The Goofy guy says, trying to set up the pool table.

"Naw, I'm not fucking with a bitch who's prolly spoilt and bratty." Dalaric, who's standing behind Alejandro, takes a step forward to grab him by the neck but I hold him back, shaking my head.

"I'm not spoilt or bratty." My voice comes out soft even though I'm kind of sad that he would assume something like that about me. I fiddle with my fingers when angry bird turns and scowls at me.

"I'm out." Is all he says before leaving, Goofy begs Dalaric to not go after him. Dalaric looks calm but I know he's angry so I hug him, mushing my face in his chest just how he likes. He kisses the crown of my head and leads us to one of the barstools where Dean, Raf and Jan are sat.

I move to sit on one of the stools but my boyfriend beats me to it, pulling me onto his lap and ordering a water. The blush on my cheeks is prominent when the boys smirk at us, and I hide my face in my man's chest.

"Y'know Maya cracked the case I told you about ?" Deans brows shoot up just a bit as he hears Jan's remark. Jan runs his hand through his blue hair and smirks when I shake my head, begging him not to tell people. It's not that big of a deal.

"No shit. That's insane. You planning on studying tech ?" Dean asks me as he takes another sip of his beer. I don't meet Dalaric's hard gaze on me when I reply.

"Um-yeah. I-I've already looked for, um-" Before I can continue, Goofy slaps a hand on Raf's shoulder, and lets out a loud holler.

"Pool game !" I sigh in relief, thankful for the interruption. The relief is dimmed by some sort of anxiousness when a whisper sounds in my ear.

"This conversation's not over, Mayella." I nod at Dalaric, knowing that it's going to be a long one since I haven't mentioned anything about my university plans. He gets up and sets me on the ground, kissing my cheek as I usher him to join his friends.

The bar has a woody theme to it, the wooden floors and brown ceiling amplifying the yellow lights placed randomly. There's a jukebox on the side playing Don Mclean's American Pie. The song choice is slightly unexpected since everyone looks part of a gang. I expected eminem or something. At least it's not dance monkey. Ewie.

My eyes find the pool table and I smile, giggling when Dalaric hits Jan on the head with the pool cue. I follow the bathroom sign, noticing a dimly lit hallway with a figure at the end of it, spewing vulgar words at whoever's on the other line.

"He doesn't wanna see me? He's my damn son ! I pay for his damn school, I deserve to see him. Fuck!" Alejandro hangs up and bangs a fist on the wall, startling me. He scowls when I wave at him, before leaning against the wall and slouching his shoulders.

Warily walking towards him, I lean against the wall too but stand a good distance from the angry bird. "You wanna talk about it, dude ?" He glares at me as I cautiously look at him. There's a frown on my face when he shakes his head and swears at me. "Fuck no, fuck off."

"Okay." I only shrug as I continue to stand there, humming to an All Time Low song. I hear a frustrated sigh before he speaks.

"My son- my niece- he's being a little brat." My attempt at hiding the hopeful look in my eyes is futile when he rolls his eyes at my encouraging nod.

"My sister died years ago. Dumb ass drove too fast with her new born kid. He survived, and now he's turning seven. Fuck, man. It's been so hard. I consider him my own but he just won't listen and I don't know what the fuck I'm doing." Alejandro rubs a hand down his face, his voice cracking in the last part.

"I think you're doing amazing." I smile at him, his brows furrowed in shock. "In fact, you've raised the boy for seven years- in a time where you're supposed to be 'yoloing.'" I make little bunny ears with my fingers and he rolls his eyes."-and having the best time of your life. You shouldered a responsibility most people would run away from. The kid doesn't have a mother, and that's tough." My voice unintentionally cracks.

"A kid would rather have emotional support from his parents- or guardians- than money. You're not just a bank account. A parent doesn't just mean financial support and that's why I think you should try connecting with him. Kids don't want a bank account, they want parents. A little thing like asking about his day and giving him a lil' cookie goes a long way, ya' get my drift ?"

Alejandro stares at the ground, his face thoughtful and his stance more confident. It's inspiring really, a dad at such a young age. And it's sweet. He pushes himself off the wall and walks towards me before lifting a finger up and poking me in the center of my forehead.

"Ow." I rub my forehead, trying to glare at him.

"I like you only a little bit more now." I nod, putting up my fist for a bump. He doesn't bump it and I frown, but smile when he does it really quickly and rolls his eyes. We walk across the hallway and towards the pool table. Dalaric's forehead creases when he glares at Alejandro and scans my form , I send him a thumbs up before forcing Alejandro to bump my fist to show solidarity.

Once we reach the noisy game, I'm immediately pulled in by warm arms. I grin at my man, giving him a kiss on his hand before whispering giddily, "Two down, one to go." Dalaric's lips curve before he nods at Goofy, who squints his eyes at me. Rafael told me they have afro competitions and Goofy is always runner up so he's a bit salty.

"I'm T." I nod, waiting for him to continue. Maybe he has a stutter.

"That's his name, baby." Dalaric whispers in my ear and my mouth drops in the shape of an 'O'.

"Hi T ! I'm Maya. You want a cookie ?" I shuffle with my bag before taking out the box of double fudge cookies I made for impressing purposes.

T's eyes immediately light up as I show him the box and I smile, moving my hand to give myself a pat on the back. Only my heart beats faster when Dalaric's kisses my head and pats my shoulder lovingly, proving that I am indeed completely heart-eyes for this man.

I open the box and let T take one for himself, but instead of seeing one hand, I see five different hands taking about three cookies each. My eyes zero in on Dean, Raf, Jan, T and even Alejandro who's stuffing his face with two cookies at a time. They pause in their actions and look at me warily but continue eating when I giggle at their stuffed mouths.

My body automatically leans against the burly man who holds me. my smile showing just how happy I am.

Dalaric kisses my neck before whispering, "Three down.".

Family.

☁︎︎ ☁︎︎ ☁︎︎

"So they helped you out when you ran away from one of your foster homes ?" My throat tightens at Dalaric's past , his nod making me sadder.

"But you were only fifteen. So young. Wasn't it dangerous ? Who kept you s-" Dalaric leans over the console to give me a peck when my voice comes out soft and weak, so afraid at the thought of a young Dalaric not having a home. At least he had good friends though. I only like them more now- they kept my man safe.

"I think Dean's nice. So is T, although it may be because I gave him the cookies. Alejandro's a bit weird, but it's okay. He's nice though- Oh, he's also really tall. You're tall too, is he taller ? I bet I could beat them at one of those shooting games, though." I munch on my cheesy fries as Dalaric drives us back home, his jaw clenched for some reason.

"What's wrong ?" I lift a fry, inching it towards his mouth but he doesn't open for the airplane. Rude.

"I don't appreciate you talking about other men , Mayella. That's what's fucking wrong." Dalaric eats the fry, his jaw still clenched. I make a mental note to lick the cheese off the corner of his lips later.

"Ohhhh." I drawl, stifling a giggle. "You know you're it for me, right baby cakes ? I'm literally wearing your name on my clothes, you big caveman. But I guess-" I sigh, feigning annoyance. "-I guess I'll stop fangirling for now." Dalaric narrows his eyes, his glare penetrating my entire existence before he puts a hand on my thigh. My inner thigh.

"That shuts you up real fast." Dalaric murmurs, a slight smirk on his face. I furrow my brows, why can't I shut him up ? I finish the rest of the cheese fries before doing exactly what did to me. Put my hand on his thigh.

The car jerks, almost hitting one of plant pots in the driveway. Dalaric glares at me, before getting out of the car in a flash. And soon, I'm over his shoulder waving at an excited Kipp as we enter the house.

Dalaric takes off the hoodie because I feel hot and I take off his jacket, having to stand on the tips of my toes. Once his arms are viable enough to become my eye candy, we take out some things for dinner. Dalaric moves around like the expert he is as I dangle my legs from the counter, peeling a potato in a metal bowl.

My brows furrow when I don't hear any sizzling noises and I look to where Dalaric stands, his fingers wrapped right around the edge of the kitchen counter, glaring at the poor mash potatoes. I hop off the counter with some struggle after placing the penguin shaped potato peeler down, and walk towards him to hug him from the back, giving it a lil' kiss.

"Fine ?" Dalaric shakes his head and turns in my hold, placing his hands around my waist as his fingers rub the side of my hips.

"Landon's back." He murmurs, a very dangerous look in his eyes. My eyes widen considerably as I think of all the things Landon did to me.

I never told him. I never told Dalaric. I don't think I want to.

"I can't hurt him, Mayella. If he does anything- if he even fucking tries, you tell me. Got it ?" I nod, a frown on my face before hesitating to ask,

"Why can't you hurt him ?" My eyes widen at how rude the question is and I open my mouth to take it back but Dalaric speaks first,

"I promised Emily."

"Your foster mom ?" I ask, confused since he's only ever mentioned her once, when I found a picture of a blue eyed, bald lady in his wallet. She looked sick but had a bright, motherly smile on her face as she had her arms around a nonchalant Dalaric, both of them sat on a hospital bed.

"My mother." My heart breaks, wishing I could've met the wonderful woman that raised a wonderful man like him.

"She made me fucking promise I'd keep him safe. She loved him, even though he treated her like shit. And I can't break her promise."

If I tell him, he would break it ? Would he do that for me ?

I can't make him do that for me. I won't. He'll keep me safe either way, I have him. Landon's in the past anyways. I nod to myself determinedly before mushing my face into his warm chest.

"I'll be careful. I have you anyways. And Fatima, she's kind of scary." He rubs my cheek with a look I can't decipher before my phone rings. Dalaric pulls me back when I almost slip on the kitchen tiles, glaring at me. I poke my tongue out at him before running to get my phone.

"Hello ?" The phone is new so I can finally see the contacts name but this must be an unknown number.

"Hey Maya ?" A croaky, rough voice sounds from the other side.

"Clancy ? Are you okay ? What's wrong ?" My brows furrow at his tone which makes me think that he's crying.

"S-She cheated on me, Maya. I-I'm not enough." Helen cheated ? Even though I want to believe Clancy but I know I shouldn't ignore the fact that there might be a misunderstanding. They're both my friends, so I remain conflicted.

"Where are you ?" After getting the location, I hurriedly rush towards the kitchen, Dalaric sending me a concerned look before setting the knife back in one of the drawers, away from my gaze.

"Clancy- He needs my help, Dalaric. Can you drop me off ? Please ?" One teeny part of me is worried that he'll say no, considering it's a boy he's never met before.

Alas, he only makes me love him more when he nods, draping a jacket on me and leading us to the car with the keys in his hand. Dalaric doesn't talk during the ride as he gently rubs my knee to calm me down. My mind racks through millions of possibilities- Is clancy thinking bad thoughts ? Is he going to hurt himself ? He's one of my closest friends and I don't know what i'll do if he gets hurt.

We stop at the café where Clancy is sitting next to the wall, his hands cradling his head. My heart breaks for him and I leave the car before Dalaric can even open the door. Clancy stands up when he sees me and I open my arms wide when I notice the tears in his eyes. He sobs on my shoulder, hunching over because he's slightly taller than me.

I don't know how long I hold him for or how many times I repeat "It's okay, Clancy. Let it out. You can cry." and how many times he replies with, "I'm so weak." I feel wetness in my own eyes when I think of how he considers himself weak, a lesser version of a man just because he cries.

I wish Dada cried. I wish he let his pain out instead of suffering in silence, ultimately causing suffering to the people around him. I wish someone told him it was okay to seek help. I wish I hugged him, and told him that it's okay. It's okay. Men can cry.

But he's not here. And all I can be is sorry.

"It's not your fault. Clancy- It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong." He rubs his eyes, his voice groggy after explaining that he had caught her making out with a boy at a party. A party he went to just for her, even though his social anxiety said no. Fatima was there too, to pick Clancy up when he found Helen in another boy's arms. She was angry but Clance held her back, telling her to go home and then proceeding to cry alone. I don't want to judge the situation based on one side of the story- but I'm not liking Helen very much right now.